Neko Hiro
by Don't Preach
Summary: Now Completed. Neko Hiroki runs away from Akihiko when his author owner brings home a Misaki kitten. Caught by the pound and sold as feral, Hiroki ends up with a cruel new owner. Will anyone save him? AU, some OC and OOCness, All JR couples appear. Rated M for safety. Contains mature themes and some violence, interspersed with tenderness and romantic fluff interspersed.
1. Master: Introduction

**Dec 30, 2012**

**So this was my most popular story on FF before they began enforcing their no MA rule. I was devastated to leave it behind with over 1400 reviews. Since YFF has gone under and I continue to receive so many lovely PMs from people looking for and requesting this story, I am now moving it back and hope that people will enjoy it and not report it for adult content, though in actuality, this fic is mild compared to some of the other stories that are posted here on FF.**

**If you read and reviewed before, I would love to hear from you again. If you haven't reviewed before, please do.  
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**For all of you who were with me on that first wild ride and faithfully followed the evolution of this neko tale, I am going to post the Author's Notes in their original form, as you were all so much a part of the original story.**

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><p><strong>May 12, 2012,<strong>

**So this story is finished. Hooray! If you are just joining, Welcome! Hope that no matter when you start this fic, you'll consider leaving me some feedback. Just so you know, the first twelve chapters are hurt more or less and then the story slides into comfort. It goes back and forth from there, anyway. Hope you enjoy it!**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica or any of its characters.<strong>

**Note: Some occasional OOC... Well, yeah, it's Neko land. Adjustments had to be made.**

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><p><strong>Neko-Hiro<strong>

**Chapter One: Master**

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><p>Hiroki burst through the door, panting. He looked at his watch again for about the fiftieth time in the last ten minutes.<p>

_Shit._

He was going to end up being unprepared and late again like he had been the day before if he wasn't careful. Remembering the consequences of that, his tail began to twitch nervously and he felt his ears droop.

He took off his shoes and hung his things up by the door. Then he slipped into the bathroom and in there, slipped out of his clothes; putting the dirty ones in the hamper; carefully folding the others and putting them on a hanger; and returning this to its holder on the back of the door.

He felt stiff as he shrugged off his shirt, though thankfully not as bad as he had that morning. The pain in his shoulders and his backside had almost affected his ability to give his lectures and that would have been terrible.

He really enjoyed teaching and was immensely grateful his new master still allowed him to do it; although there were times that his students annoyed him with their thick-headedness. He wished he could reprimand them properly, but he was only a neko after all.

He was really quite lucky actually that he had as much control over his class as he did. That they were so well behaved spoke highly of him as a teacher.

Not many hybrids got to teach, especially at a college level, and even more particularly, mixed human and hybrid classes. He'd known a number who'd tried and had to give up because their human students refused to respect them.

He'd even heard of one poor hybrid professor who had been beaten and then gang raped by his class.

The thought made Hiroki shudder.

Yes, he was fortunate indeed, at least in this one aspect of his life, even more so recently.

The manager of the Languages and Arts division at M University, Dean Takatsuki, had called him in for an unexpected meeting yesterday afternoon and he hadn't dared refuse.

It turned out to be a good thing too. There the Dean informed him that he been selected for promotion. Next semester he would also be leading more than just the introductory classes and would be able to finally teach in an area of his interest; and he was also going to be an assistant to a senior professor as well. This meant Hiroki would be much more secure in his job at "M" University and safer too.

_That is, if master allows me to accept the promotion._

Perhaps unwisely, he had already accepted a meeting with his new supervisor, a fellow named Miyagi, next week. He hoped Miyagi was agreeable.

Though Hiroki had been at his post for two years, he spent so much time on his classes and at his home (like most hybrids who were allowed to work) he'd never socialized much.

For this reason, there were many faculty at the large University, even within his own department, like Miyagi, Hiroki had never met.

Still, he had heard many students speak highly of the senior professor, so he knew Miyagi was a good teacher. Unfortunately this didn't offer him any clues as to how the man felt about nekos, or how he would respond to having a hybrid junior.

Hiroki turned and looked at his back in the mirror.

The sight of all the red welts on his shoulders and the angry bruises on the cheeks of his backside made his ears flatten even further.

The professorial neko still didn't feel he'd deserved such a beating. He wished he'd had a chance to explain to his master why he'd been late with dinner last night but the man had been so mad he had forbidden him to speak at all.

Realizing he was wasting time with this reverie, and not wanting a repeat of the previous evening, Hiroki set these thoughts to the side.

He had only been with this new master for a few months and had been almost constantly in trouble. It didn't help that the man was difficult to please.

Hiroki began hurriedly preparing himself. He took two enemas out of the cupboard under the sink and used one after the other to make sure he was clean on the inside.

Then he jumped quickly into the shower being careful that every other part that his master specified was attended to correctly. Once he was out, he put in the nipple rings that he'd been instructed to wear and replaced the lighter piercing in his cock with the heavy ring that had been laid out for him on the counter of the sink.

The piercings were relatively new and they were still painful. It didn't help that his owner had a penchant for twisting them.

Hiroki supposed he should be grateful that his master did not demand that he wear the nipple adornments or the weighted cock ring outside of the apartment, since they would have been visible under his clothes.

_That would certainly wouldn't help me maintain the respect of my students... having my pupils know so clearly that I am someone's sex pet._

Looking at himself in the mirror again now, Hiroki could feel the hot blush of humiliation rise into his cheeks. He despised the body jewelry. He reminded himself his master hated it when he blushed. Unfortunately, this just made his color intensify.

Hiroki dropped his gaze from his reflection. He replaced his lighter work collar with the uncomfortable heavy, stiff, black leather one he was forced to wear whenever he was at home. It rubbed the base of his neck fiercely and he knew that eventually the chafe marks it was making on his sensitive skin would scar.

_Perhaps this will remind me of how stupid I was for running away._

The shame of his disgraceful past actions filled him. Hiroki felt tears well up in his eyes. His tail wrapped itself sadly around one of his legs.

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><p>Before this new master, he had lived with the heir to the multinational Usami - Corporation and novelist, Usami Akihiko, for years.<p>

Akihiko had bought him when he was just out of kittenhood.

Actually, they had first become friends when they were both ten years-old. They'd met in a secret place on the wooded Usami estate where they both went to hide.

Hiroki's breeder's own estate was nearby and he was always slipping off to escape his rambunctious litter-mates.

The two had bonded with each other in a particular friendship, too young at the time to fully understand how truly different they were and how society had its paths for each of them already immutably established.

Despite, or perhaps because of this, Akihiko had bought Hiroki as soon as he was of legal age to be sold, which for individual hybrid ownership was at the of age eighteen.

There were many illegal operations that trafficked in hybrids at much younger ages, however.

And common breeds of the genetic human/animal mixes, for low skilled labor positions, could also be purchased for work at the age of twelve by factories and corporations. Though these purchases were generally made from large commercial breeding operations.

The young aristocratic Usami had brokered the deal with Hiroki's breeder sometime before his companion came of age, to ensure that no one else would buy the cinnamon-haired hybrid.

Actually Hiroki's breeder had been only too happy to sell the Kamijou kitten then. She had been worried that she was going to have a hard time placing the incredibly intelligent neko, as he was moody in his brilliance and given to periodic tantrums.

He also didn't socialize well and liked reading entirely too much. And while the Kamijou breed was known for its pride, Hiroki's pride as he grew had become a precarious thing.

Once he'd become officially Akihiko's property, not too much in their relationship really changed. As an owner, Akihiko was always very lenient with his pet.

He allowed the curious neko to read as much as he wanted, even encouraged him go to college and have his own job. He honored his hybrid by offering Hiroki the opportunity to proofread his novels for him before they went to his human editor.

In fact, Akihiko rarely treated Hiroki like a pet and only made him wear a collar for his own protection when he went out.

Yes, for all the years he'd had kept him, Akihiko regarded Hiroki as he had when they were children: if not entirely as an equal, at least more or less as a friend.

Unfortunately, this was not enough for Hiroki.

Even with all these rarities, he wanted more. He longed to be Akihiko's lover too, to experience the feel of his master's flesh. But more than being a "sex pet" Hiroki desired above all things for Akihiko to truly love him.

He himself had secretly loved Akihiko from the time they first met, but Akihiko never cared for him in that way and instead fell in love with another neko.

For a long time there had been strict rules in Japan that an individual citizen could not own more than one neko, only specially licensed breeders could have multiple feline hybrids. A viral outbreak had decimated the population world-wide some decades earlier and so, for many years, there just weren't enough nekos to go around.

During this time Akihiko had seen a Takahashi breed neko named Takahiro in a shop and fell completely in love with him at first sight. Hiroki knew this because he'd had the misfortune of being out with Akihiko at the time.

It had been crushing to witness.

After that, Akihiko went to see the sweet stupid Takahashi neko at the shop every day.

Hiroki had worried that Akihiko would take him to a shelter, so he could adopt Takahiro, but he hadn't. Akihiko had been faithful to him. Akihiko had been heartbroken, however, when some woman finally bought the simple-minded Takahashi cat.

Hiroki had tried to help Akihiko get over it. Despite the pain of his unrequited love, the cinnamon hybrid wished to please his master/friend, far more than he knew had been already programmed into his genes, somewhere under his recalcitrant temperament.

This time of grief for Akihiko had coincided with the start of a neko heat season. Hiroki convinced his owner not to lock him up as he usually did when his pet was going through one of his "heat" cycles. (Though they could not conceive, there was a genetic quirk that caused uke, male nekos to go into heat once a year like a female, though lady nekos cycled twice.)

Hiroki had persuaded Akihiko be blindfolded and assured his master/friend he'd pleasure him as well any skilled sex pet. He even offered to pretend to be the Takahashi neko so that Akihiko, in his sightlessness, could pretend he was touching the neko he loved.

With this arrangement, Hiroki had been happy he also would not have to go through yet another agonizing celibate heat alone and unfulfilled.

The young neko also had held the egotistical hope that this plan might entice Akihiko to finally love him.

But it didn't work.

And in the end, it only damaged them both: Akihiko, because he longed for his real love even more and Hiroki because he knew at last Akihiko would never love him.

Now the virus had been under control for some time and in Japan nekos were mandatorily vaccinated for it yearly, along with their rabies and distemper. Due to a swing in the Nippon neko population pendulum as a result of the virus's containment, the one neko rule for private citizens had been lifted just two years before.

Though he knew this, Hiroki had been shocked six months ago to come home from work and find that Akihiko had, without telling him, brought home a kitten. A lovely young chocolate neko with huge green eyes.

His name was Misaki.

Misaki vacillated between states of brashness and shyness that seemed to entrance Akihiko.

Hiroki secretly thought the kitten was nothing more than a terrible tease. Still, he'd supposed he might eventually get used to the horribly cute brat, until he found out that Misaki was also a Takahashi neko and, in fact, Takahiro's younger brother.

Then he discovered Akihiko had also made a similar arrangement to buy Misaki as he had him, paying for Misaki before he came of age, even before the one-neko ban had been lifted.

That his unrequited had planned this secretly, devastated Hiroki and he lost the control he'd been holding on to so desperately.

Finally, in a heated argument with Akihiko about this, the professorial hybrid had actually lashed out and scratched his master and then attacked the chocolate kitten who had been standing frozen next to him.

Hiroki had bitten Misaki badly before Akihiko finally pulled him off and ordered him in to room. There Akihiko locked his first pet away to cool off.

Incensed by this further humiliation and at the same time overcome with his disgraceful loss of control, Hiroki decided then and there to run away and he had.

He'd left the collar with his hybrid registration number on it on the bed, took just a few of his things in a bag, climbed out the window, crawled onto the apartment balcony, and then let himself out from the inside while Akihiko was taking Misaki to the vet.

Though his pride would never allow him to admit this, being a runaway neko was very frightening. Hiroki had never lived on his own before and it was illegal to be a stray.

He kept going to work despite the fact he was a runaway, terrified each day that Akihiko would call Dean Takatsuki and tell his boss what he had done or show up at one of his classes to drag him home.

Akihiko never did.

This hurt Hiroki far worse than if Akihiko had done these things.

Out on the streets Hiroki made himself a collar and passable forged tag for going to work.

He'd had some money, because Akihiko had always let him keep his paychecks, but he'd been forced to live on the streets anyways.

It was rare for even emancipated hybrids to find independent housing and _no one_ was going to rent to an illegal runaway neko.

Hiroki had managed for three months on his own.

It was hard having to grade by the light of street lamps and he'd almost been caught and beaten by true feral nekos a few times, but he been surviving. Then one night, there was a raid on the park he'd been camping out in and he and about fifteen other wild and runaway hybrids had been caught.

At the processing station at the Hybrid Humane Society, because he was still wearing a collar, even if it didn't have ID (fortunately his false tag had come off as he'd tried to escape), Hiroki been allowed one phone call.

He could have called Akihiko and his master would have probably come and picked him up, but the neko had his pride.

Instead, foolishly, thinking that he could somehow resolve the situation on his own, Hiroki had called and left a message for Dean Takatsuki, telling him that he had gotten a rare breakthrough heat cycle and would not be at work for at a week. Fortunately, it was almost spring break, so he would only miss a few classes.

Hiroki thought this would give him enough time to clear up the mess he was in without anyone having to know. What he hadn't realized, however, was that he and the other captured neko hybrids were to be up for quick auction in three days, after a checkup and vaccinations, because now there were so many nekos all of the hybrid shelters had reached their capacity in term of neko quota.

Hiroki had been shocked to learn this, but by then it was too late. He was not allowed any more phone calls.

Being put on the auction block had been a horrible experience.

It was standard for pets at auction to be naked so that their potential owners could see what they were buying. Coming from a private breeder, and purchased as he was, the cinnamon neko had never had to endure such a degrading experience before.

Despite his animal ancestry, Hiroki had always been rather private about his body. To be revealed in this way and then openly scrutinized dealt a severe blow to his pride. That most of the people there to buy the bargain nekos were a rough lot didn't make things any better.

While some of the other runaway nekos had tried to act cute and submissive despite this, in the hopes of brokering favor, Hiroki found he could not help but scowl and hiss. His ears pinned back, his tail fluffed.

Seeing this, the auctioneer declared him a true feral, who would need someone with a keen interest in training/taming to control "the fiery Kamijou cat."

Hiroki's pride had fallen further when only two people bid on him. But he tried to rationalize that, in addition to being labeled feral, he was also well into his twenties, far past the point when nekos were considered cute. Not to mention most people preferred getting kittens so they could train them to fit their specific needs.

But under these rationalizations, Hiroki had also secretly come to believe during his time with Akihiko that there was something essentially flawed and undesirable about him. Otherwise wouldn't his master/friend have come to love him or at least wanted to use him properly, given the number of years they had known each other?

Having his suspicions affirmed in this way at the auction had been particularly painful.

In the end he was finally sold and Hiroki had been relieved that it was the nicer looking of the two men bidding on him who bought him.

Things seemed even better when helearned he was to be the man's pet and was not being shipped off to work in a brothel or some dank factory.

On the way home, the man had told him that he was training to be a doctor and worked in the children's ward at a nearby hospital.

Hiroki was rather impressed as the man seemed young to be already so involved in such a demanding career track. When he'd told his new owner in exchange that he was a Junior Professor of Literature at M University he was delighted that the man immediately declared that he could keep working.

Hiroki had felt his spirits rise for the first time in months.

His new owner had laughed and teased him all the way home and while it was slightly annoying, Hiroki thought that this new arrangement might not be too bad after all. It also offered him some hope that, since his new owner seemed to be an agreeable man, he might still be able to find a way out of his terrible situation and back to Akihiko.

It had not taken Hiroki long, however, once they reached his new master's apartment to realize just how premature that hope had been.

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><p>With his heavy collar on and his piercings in place, Hiroki undertook the last part of his nightly preparation.<p>

He took the tube of greasy lube out of the bottom drawer of the vanity and prepared his orifice for its nightly abuse. He winced as his finger went in, he was still so sore from last night, despite uke nekos fast, natural recovery abilities for this passage.

Even so, Hiroki was glad that he was finally being allowed to slick himself before entry. Kamijou uke nekos, unlike some other neko breeds, only self-lubricated near or during their heat cycles and when his new owner had first started taking him, the only lubricant he'd had was the man's spit and the blood from his own torn tissues.

Finally ready, Hiroki went out into the kitchen to begin making dinner.

The neko trembled, naked under the apron he wore, as he waited for his meal to finish baking. He had prepared every dish that his master had ordered. Still, he wasn't a very good cook, or housekeeper for that matter.

Though these qualities were expected to be standard in pets, he'd never had to do those things when he'd lived with Akihiko: the author had a maid service he used periodically so that he and Hiroki could focus on their work and they had eaten take out almost every meal.

Hiroki felt the tears well again and this time, begin to fall. He wiped them back with the oven mitt.

He had been accused of being an overly-emotional hybrid, ever since he was a kitten, but it seemed like he cried so much more now. He knew he had to stop or he would have red eyes and a red nose when his master came home and that would make the man angry.

His owner said when he looked like that he was even uglier than normal.

It was hard not to weep though. He had been punished every day since arriving in his new master's home for all his perceived shortcomings.

While as a neko, maintaining his confidence had been a constant battle and his fierce pride was often a show, over the last few months, what little true self-esteem Hiroki had had been all but beaten and fucked out of him. The result of this was a very different Kamijou cat than Akihiko had known.

While he was desperately working to keep the horror of his new situation from becoming apparent at work, Hiroki was also trying very hard to be good and please his master.

No matter what he did, however, he always seemed to fail when it came to his new owner. Just the previous week, in fact, the man had yelled at him for being too submissive, for not being the challenge to break that he had been promised by the auctioneer and had threatened to take him into a shelter and have him put down.

Hiroki had been curled into a ball on the floor at the time of this threat, absorbing the man's angry kicks as this was shouted this at him.

One might think that in such a situation, Hiroki would have simply called Akihiko and asked his old owner to forgive him and come and buy him back. In fact there were numerous times at the university that his fingers had hovered over the buttons of the payphone in the hybrid lounge at the University.

However, the original Kamijou cats had been the pets of samurai and Hiroki held this fact in high esteem.

For this reason he could not bring himself to beg. Likewise, in his mind, since he had dishonored himself and fled his true master, he believed he must endure the fate he now had. And when his new master had threatened him with death, he almost felt relieved. He had actually begun to wonder if death might not be preferable to his current situation. Accepting such a fate could almost be interpreted as a form of neko seppuku.

Instead of taking him to a shelter, however, the man had beat Hiroki severely and then done some other unspeakable things to him.

As Hiroki took the last dish out of the oven, his hands trembled at this recollection. He forced them to steady and went to finish setting the table.

He set it for two people.

His stomach growled at him and he had to remind it that neither of these plates was for him. He only got to eat if he was fed by his master's hand or from his cracked dish on the floor if the man was too busy to take the time to do this, which seemed to happen often.

Though he had always been on the slender side, the professorial neko was much skinnier now after three months with his new owner. His master taunted him about this and said his thinness too made him unattractive, but that didn't mean he felt moved to feed Hiroki any more.

That there were two place settings unnerved Hiroki.

His tail swished nervously as he studied the tall Western-style table.

_Maybe master is going to make me perform for one of his friends again, like last week. Or even worse, sell me for the evening to someone again_.

He was already giving his owner all of his paycheck, but the man said he needed more and had started pimping him out lately.

Hiroki's empty stomach was filled with a heavy lump of fear.

Now that everything was done, Hiroki took off the apron and put it away.

He went over to the ring by the door where his lead was attached and clipped it on to his collar. He knelt down on the floor to wait for his owner to arrive home. The apartment was cold and Hiroki was chilled, as usual, but that was not the only reason that he was shaking.

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><p><strong>Whew, so much background information. If you made it through this, I promise, the rest of the story reads much more easily.<strong>

**Thank you for reading and reviewing!  
><strong>


	2. Stranger: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Two: Stranger**

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><p>Hiroki had not been kneeling long at his post before he heard a key strike the lock in the door. Although he wanted desperately to be brave, he felt his traitorous tail slink down between his naked thighs.<p>

The door opened, and the apartment's entry way was suddenly filled with the rich sound of his master's laugh accompanied by the slightly lower pitch of another man. Hiroki did not dare look up to see who it might be, but his keen ears didn't recognize the voice from among the men his owner had previously brought home**.**

Both men's laughter stopped abruptly when they saw him waiting humbly in the entryway.

"Well, nice to see you are where you're supposed to be for once." Hiroki's master's tone was extremely sarcastic, though yesterday was the first time since his owner had bought him, actually, that he had not been at his post on time.

"Oh, I didn't know you owned a neko, Senpai." This was the voice of the other man, it sounded sweet and warm and maybe even bit uncomfortable.

Hiroki wanted very much to look at the owner of these soothing sounds, but stayed still instead.

"I haven't had him long, only a few months… Not sure I would have gotten him if I'd known what a pain in the ass he would be. Wait, don't tell me you're allergic or one of those anti-pet people? I can lock him in my room if he makes you uncomfortable. Besides, I know he's not much to look at. But I didn't get him to look at him, if you know what I mean."

Hiroki's ears had pricked up slightly at the pleasant sound of the visitor's voice, but they flattened back down immediately when he heard his master's disdain.

"Ah, no, Senpai, sorry. Please don't go to any trouble on my account. I am just not used to pets. There's no need to send him away. He's kind of cute, really."

At these last words, Hiroki's tail gave an unconscious twitch.

"Is he okay though, Senpai? He looks like he's been injured. That's quite a number of contusions he has on his shoulders."

The cinnamon neko felt himself blush all the way to the tips of his furry ears at the stranger's observation.

"What? No. He's fine." Hiroki's master assured his guest, as he un-clipped his collar from its lead. "So he has a few bruises. Nekos are hearty and it's his own fault he has them: he's just fucking clumsy for a catman. No feline grace.

"Right, Pet?"

The man nudged Hiroki's knee with the tip of his shoe. Hiroki remained silent and set his fingers to work on loosening the double knots tied in his owner's shoelaces.

"Some of those marks look like they're from a strap," the newcomer ventured cautiously.

"Oh, those? Well, yeah, there are a few of those I suppose. But you have to understand, he was feral when I bought him and he's been super difficult to train. Besides, being hybrid, the pain tolerance is very high. Sometimes a good smack is the only way to get his attention."

The visitor remained sagely silent at these remarks.

Hiroki breathed an inward sigh of relief. It was considered impolite to question a human's choice of discipline for his pet and he desperately wanted to keep the mood light in the apartment that night.

After he'd helped his master out of his shoes, Hiroki's owner walked into the front room and flopped down on the couch. Hiroki reached out tentatively then for the shoes of his master's guest. He pulled back, frightened, however, when he found his hand unexpectedly grasped by a much larger one.

Hiroki winced, despite the fact the unseen man's grip was very light. He braced himself in anticipation of the coming blows, but no blows fell. Instead, he felt another large hand on his chin lifting his face up. The scared neko found himself suddenly looking into the kindest pair of dark-blue eyes he had ever seen.

"That's okay, thank you," the tall, black-haired man smiled. "I'll get them myself."

The visitor released him and Hiroki watched him slip out of his shoes. As he walked past the kneeling neko into the main room the man reached out and, as if it was the most natural action, softly ruffled Hiroki's head.

"Honestly, Nowaki, you should let him do that for you, it's about one of the only things he does well."

Hiroki fought not to shrink as his owner shot him a severe look.

His master picked up the remote and turned on the T.V., settling deeper into his couch. He looked back to his companion and motioned to an adjacent chair for his guest.

"Do you want something to drink, Nowaki? A beer maybe?"

"I don't normally drink, but yes, a beer would be fine, thank you, Senpai." Nowaki sank carefully down onto the chair, folding up his long legs. He peered over his shoulder at neko still huddled in the doorway.

Hiroki's owner followed his kohai's gaze and frowned.

"Hiro, get off your ass and bring us a couple of beers! And put your apron on while you're in the kitchen, I don't want to have to look at you naked while I'm eating tonight. I might lose my appetite."

In truth however, given Nowaki's concern over the marks on his pet's shoulders Hiroki's owner was hoping the apron would cover the evidence of some of the neko's more severe marks. He was slightly annoyed since none of the other guys he'd brought over had ever seemed to mind. Some even happily contributed to his hybrid's catalog of marks. But of course those men were there for other reasons than Nowaki.

"Yes, Tsumori-sama." Hiroki hurried to comply. Despite his owner's cruel words, he was immensely grateful for the covering, however scant.

"Hiro is his name?" Nowaki asked Tsumori, watching the naked neko dart into the kitchen, quickly tie on an apron and retrieve two beers from the refrigerator.

"It was Hiroki, or something like that, but the extra syllable just seemed like too much trouble," Tsumori joked. He turned his attention to flipping through the channels to locate the baseball game he had invited Nowaki over to watch.

Hiroki brought Tsumori his beer.

"Get out of the way, Cat, you're blocking the screen!" Tsumori snatched his beer from his neko's shaking hand. "And you should have offered one to my guest first, Idiot!"

A bright flush filled Hiroki's cheeks at the truth of Tsumori's criticism. He took the remaining bottle and stepped over to Nowaki offering him the bottle with a low bow.

"Tsumori-sama is right, of course. Please forgive my inconsiderateness," Hiroki said softly.

"Thank you, Hiro-san. No harm done though. Okay?" Nowaki replied kindly, looking Hiroki in the eye as the embarrassed neko straightened. As he gently took his bottle from Hiroki, their fingers touched.

Hiroki's chilled flesh suddenly felt warm.

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><p><strong>Ha! I bet you thought I was going to make Nowaki the bad guy. No way! For anyone who likes Tsumori…sorry for the OOC-ness.<strong>

**Thank you for reading and reviewing!**


	3. Dinner: Egoist, Tsumori

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Three: Dinner**

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><p>Hiroki drew his hand back, though he really didn't want to.<p>

_Nowaki's skin is so warm._

The shy neko shifted uncomfortably as he felt similar warmth emanating from the dark-blue eyes that were studying him curiously.

A snort sounded from the direction of the couch. "Nowaki, there's no reason to be formal with Hiro, he's just a neko."

"Well, I think 'Hiro-san' suits him." Nowaki gave Hiroki other encouraging smile. "Do you mind if I call him that, Senpai?"

"Call him whatever you want, big guy." Tsumori was already engrossed in the game. "I imagine at this point, he's probably about heard it all."

The pleasant blush that had crept into Hiroki's cheeks at Nowaki's comment deepened into a flush of shame at his master's words. He was terribly embarrassed.

Nowaki looked at Hiroki for just a moment more and then back to the man seated on the couch. Watching Tsumori reclining in ease with no thought about how his words had hurt his pet, Nowaki's eyes narrowed with anger.

"Hiro!" Tsumori barked.

Hiroki had started backing away, trying to make it to his appointed corner in the room where he could sit down, and hopefully, if he was quiet enough, become invisible for the remainder of the evening. Unfortunately, it appeared this was not going to be the case.

"Yes, Tsumori-sama?"

"We'll take our dinner here tonight. Dish it up and bring it over, and get me another beer while you're at it."

"Yes, Master."

Hiroki was growing nervous already, Tsumori had been home for less than twenty minutes and already he'd had two beers. The neko professor had learned early on that Tsumori, sober was a tyrant, but when he got drunk…

In the kitchen, Hiroki began putting his Master's plate together. He was surprised when a minute later, Nowaki stood up, snagged his plate off the table, and came into the kitchen too.

"Do you mind if I dish myself up, Hiro-san? I'm kind of funny that way."

Hiroki looked up at. He had never seen anyone so tall.

"N-no, of course not, ummm... Master Nowaki." Hiroki was flustered, no one had told him how to address Nowaki and he did not want to offend him.

"My name is Kusama Nowaki, but you can just call me Nowaki." Nowaki smiled down as he spooned some rice onto his dish. "This food looks really good, Hiro-san."

"Thank you, Nowaki-san," Hiroki choked as he hurriedly turned and left the kitchen. No one had ever complimented his food before and he didn't want Nowaki to see the tears that had welled up in his eyes.

When he served Tsumori, Hiroki's owner took one look at the carefully arranged plate and sneered. He called out to Nowaki who had just come back and was settling himself into his chair.

"Sorry about the food, Nowaki. The cat can't cook for crap."

"I think it actually looks quite good, Senpai." Nowaki smiled at Hiroki. Then out of the corner of his eye, he caught Tsumori's dark look and watched the cinnamon neko immediately tense.

Nowaki was a perceptive person, despite his seemingly easy going nature and he suddenly realized that his compliments might get Tsumori's poor pet in trouble later.

"But then I eat so much of that terrible food at the hospital, I guess almost anything would taste better," Nowaki added with a light chuckle.

He sighed inwardly as both neko and owner visibly relaxed.

"Tsumori-sama?" Hiroki asked nervously.

"What!" Tsumori's eyes were glued on the television set. He was shoveling large bites of food into his mouth, despite the fact he'd said it was awful.

"Would it be okay if I did some grading? Please? I have a lot of papers to look at for my students." Hiroki was afraid to ask, but after last night, he was in danger of falling behind.

"Fine, but be quiet about it. I don't want to spend my whole night listening to a bunch of rattling papers."

Nowaki watched the hybrid walk to the hall and get his book bag.

It made him sad to see how droopy the poor catman's ears were and his tail was so listless. Then Hiroki's apron opened a bit in the back as he moved and Nowaki saw the terrible bruises on the pale skin of the neko's bare bottom.

Hiroki was on his way back to his corner when Nowaki stopped him as he passed by his chair.

"So, you are a teacher, Hiro-san?"

Before coming to stay with Tsumori, Hiroki would have probably said something snappy to Nowaki about how foolish the question was after he had just said he had students. But living as he had for the last three months, he had learned the hard way that he must temper his tongue.

"I teach Japanese literature at 'M' university, Nowaki-san." Hiroki tried hard not to sound prideful.

"Really, Hiro-san?" Nowaki was impressed: education had always been very important to him. "I know some working hybrids. We have a number that do maintenance and custodial things at the hospital, but I had no idea that a neko-hybrid could be a professor."

"Ha!" Tsumori joined their conversation. "It's not like he teaches anything that difficult, just a bunch of introductory courses."

"Actually, Tsumori-sama, the Dean offered me a promotion yesterday." Hiroki was feeling braver because of Nowaki's presence.

"That's why I was late. Dean Takatsuki called me into his office after my lectures because he wanted to offer me the chance to teach some advanced classes next semester and to be an assistant to one of the regular professors."

Nekos had to get their owner's permission for advancement, especially if their new duties might take them away from their responsibilities at home.

"I have the permission slip in my bag for you to sign that says I can do it."

Tsumori was suddenly more interested in his pet than the baseball game. His eyes glinted as he looked at Hiroki.

"So how much more will they be paying you?"

"Nothing at first," Hiroki admitted, but then added quickly, "But if I do well, I could get a raise later." Hybrids were paid much lower wages than humans and advancement even for the most ambitious was hard.

"Besides, it's a tremendous honor to be asked."

This angered Tsumori.

"Then no! I'm not signing anything. Your post hardly brings any money as it is and distracts you from your duties here enough already! In fact, I've been wondering if I should even let you keep teaching at all after this semester. I think there are better ways that you could bring money into this household.

"Now go get into your corner!"

Hiroki slunk over to the corner and sat down. He waited for Tsumori to get interested in the ball game again, before he even tried opening his bag. He was just glad that his master had not been so mad that he'd stopped him from doing his grading.

As he looked very quietly through his students' papers Hiroki found it was hard to read tonight. His eyes kept blurring as he tried to keep from crying.

He honestly didn't know what he would do if Tsumori made him quit teaching. It was all that was keeping him sane at the moment and then there was the whole issue of the other ways his master thought he could make money. Hiroki's tail unconsciously wrapped up around his waist and curled against his belly trying to warm away the cold fear that gripped him there.

* * *

><p>Across the room from the poor catman, Nowaki was having a very difficult time. He was trying to eat all of the dinner that Hiroki had worked so hard to prepare, but found he had lost his appetite. He was very disturbed to see this side of his senpai.<p>

While at work, it was true that Tsumori had always been rather coarse and given to the hard teasing of his subordinates. Nowaki had more or less overlooked this because Tsumori was a good doctor and always seemed to put these traits on hold when he worked with the children.

Seeing his senpai like this though, and how he treated his poor pet, made him really upset. He wanted to do something to protect Hiro-san, but at the same time, he didn't want to disrespect or offend his senpai. He had to work with Tsumori almost every day and the man was his superior.

He also wondered if what Tsumori had said about this pet was really true. Though he hardly seemed feral, perhaps Hiro-san was only behaving because there was a guest present.

At the same time, even so, Nowaki could think of little anyone might do that would warrant the punishment that was clearly visible on Tsumori's hybrid.

Tsumori needed another beer, but this time he'd decided he would get it himself. On his way into the kitchen he made a show of scraping the few scraps that remained on his plate into Hiroki's cracked bowl.

"Dinner, Hiro," he called. Then he took a sixer out of the fridge and went back over to the couch, belching loudly as he sat down and opened a new bottle.

Nowaki had managed to eat almost all of his dinner because he did not want Hiroki to feel bad. Tsumori looked over at Nowaki's all but empty plate.

"Feel free to dump the scraps in Hiro's bowl. I hate to see even bad food go to waste."

Nowaki looked at the skinny neko sitting across the room. He'd heard the feline professor's empty tummy growl, though Hiroki made no attempt to go to his bowl.

Hiroki's head was bent, over his papers, studiously not looking at either human. Nowaki could see the catman's hands shaking, the papers he was holding quivered.

"Actually, I think I like to have some more if that's okay, Senpai?"

"Suit yourself, Sport," Tsumori was on his fourth beer. "It's your stomach after all."

Nowaki piled some good-sized portions on his plate. He sat back down and pushed these around for about fifteen minutes with his chopsticks as the game continued and then got up and went to Hiroki's bowl.

Nowaki looked at Hiroki apologetically as he scraped the food into his dish.

"Sorry, Hiro-san, I guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach. It really was pretty good though."

Rather than make the poor feline suffer the indignity of having to retrieve his food, Nowaki took the bowl over and offered it to the hungry hybrid with both hands.

"Thank you, Nowaki-san," Hiroki was so embarrassed by this unexpected kindness he wanted to shrink up and disappear.

Nowaki didn't say anything, he just ruffled Hiroki's head again, being careful of the catman's shyly lifting ears and went back to his seat.

Normally such an informal touch would have made Hiroki's tail fluff, but for a moment, he was reminded of how Akihiko had often stroked his head. Nowaki's hand held a similar quality, though his touch was much warmer.

Tsumori offered his guest another beer, which Nowaki politely declined.

"You know, Nowaki, it's a good thing you don't have a neko." Tsumori's eyes were dark as he watched Hiroki delicately nibbling his food across the room. Hiroki had always had very good table manners and besides, he didn't want Nowaki to know how truly hungry he was.

"You'd spoil it so much it would become impossible to control."

"You're probably right, Senpai," Nowaki said mildly, not wanting to irritate his senpai further.

Finally, the game ended bringing the awkward evening to a close.

"I should get going, Senpai. I have to work tomorrow. Thank you for inviting me over to watch the game."

By this time, Tsumori was soundly drunk.

"Yeah, well, you know, I've been inviting you over for months, Nowaki... but I'm glad you finally came.

"Hold on just a minute, I gotta' take a piss and then I'll walk you to the door." Tsumori slurred his words as he spoke and staggered his way to the bathroom.

Nowaki stood and watched Hiroki carefully putting his students' work into his book bag.

The young intern just couldn't get over how sad the feline hybrid looked. He walked over and squatted down next to Hiroki. The neko was startled to see Nowaki suddenly so close and down at his own level.

"Thank you for the dinner, Hiro-san. You're really a good cook."

"You are too kind, Nowaki-san; I am very glad that you were here tonight."

Nowaki wondered about all the possible meanings hidden in Hiroki's words. "May I give you a pat goodnight?"

In the past such a patronizing question would have had Hiroki shouting and spitting in indignation. But it didn't seem to him that Nowaki was trying to demean him through his request, and after all, he had Nowaki to thank for the first full belly he'd had in weeks. So instead of getting mad, Hiroki just bowed his head slightly to give the man access.

"Just please be careful of my ears, Nowaki-san; they're very sensitive."

"Of course." Nowaki smiled as he petted Hiroki's very soft, cinnamon-brown head. Both he and Hiroki were equally surprised when after what seemed like only a minute, a quiet purr could be heard brewing deep in Hiroki's chest.

Hiroki pulled back from Nowaki's gentle hand. He blushed all the way down to his tail. In all his whole life, he rarely ever purred.

"Sorry, Nowaki-san."

"What are you sorry about, Hiro-san? I think you have a very cute purr." Nowaki laughed when this comment brought an involuntary scowl to the catman's face.

"Hey, Kusama!"

Tsumori was standing by the hallway entrance, not looking particularly pleased.

"Ah, yes, Senpai, I'm coming. Be good, Hiro-san. Maybe I'll see you again sometime."

* * *

><p>Hiroki sadly watched the two men go down the hall.<p>

He got up cautiously and began picking up the empty beer bottles from around the couch and carried them into the kitchen. He almost dropped them, however, when he heard the front door slam.

He had just finished putting the bottles down on the counter when Tsumori came barreling in.

Without any warning, Tsumori strode over to his pet and slapped Hiroki hard, driving him to his knees.

"What the fuck was all that about?"

"I'm sorry, Tsumori-sama." Hiroki started to apologize before he even really understood what he had done.

"I watched you, flirting with him the whole damn night!" Tsumori gave Hiroki another hard slap, driving the neko to the floor.

"As if someone like Nowaki would ever be interested in a worthless mangy sack of bones like you. Maybe for a pity fuck, but nothing else.

"Well, if you're so hungry for someone's cock up your ass, let me oblige you." Tsumori grabbed Hiroki by his collar and started dragging the stunned neko towards the bedroom.

"Please, Tsumori-sama," Hiroki pleaded. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to flirt, I was just being polite to your guest." Tears of pain and fear filled his eyes.

"Shut up! I'll tell you when I want you to open your mouth and what for! Besides, Kusama is mine, and by the time I get done with you, you'll never forget that."

* * *

><p>An hour later Hiroki felt Tsumori's foot against his back push him out of the bed and onto the floor.<p>

"Go clean up the kitchen, Hiro. You sleep in your corner tonight." Tsumori rolled over in the bed and was soon softly snoring.

It took Hiroki quite a while to even get the strength to move. He was covered with new welts and bruises.

One of his eyes was almost swollen shut from where he had caught the full-force of one of Tsumori's slaps. He was covered in bite marks and had a particularly nasty tear on one of his ears.

His tail felt broken, Tsumori had pulled it so badly. Hiroki ached all the way up into his stomach from some of the other things his master had done to him.

By the time he'd managed to get everything, including himself, cleaned up, Hiroki realized he had only a few hours before he had to get up and be ready for class.

He lay down in his corner on the hard floor.

Cradling his tortured tail in his hands, Hiroki rubbed its soft tip over his bad eye.

He didn't think in the midst of his pain that he would ever be able to sleep, but then he suddenly thought of Nowaki's kind, blue eyes and warm gentle touch. He carried these thoughts with him into his troubled dreams.

* * *

><p><strong>Truly, I hate to be so mean to poor Hiroki...Will Nowaki save him? Tune in and find out. <strong>

**Thank you for reading and reviewing!**


	4. Morning: Egoist, Tsumori

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Four: Morning**

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><p>The next morning Hiroki was abruptly awakened by Tsumori throwing cold water on his bruised face.<p>

This was a terrible way for anyone to be woken up, but for a catman, it was particularly awful. Hiroki sputtered with a start and went to sit up, but the pain in his stiff, battered body, the moment he tried to move, roared through his muscles and roused him far more than the water.

Hiroki could see Tsumori's blurry feet in front of him. He was having trouble opening his swollen eye. He braced himself waiting for a kick, but his owner walked away, moving into the kitchen. Hiroki almost cried at the relief of this.

"Get up, Hiro!" Tsumori's receding voice ordered. "You are the hardest fucking animal to wake up I have ever known!

"That was the second time I tried to get you up. I had to make my own goddamn coffee this morning!"

"I'm sorry, Tsumori-sama." Hiroki struggled to get up. He was so sore he could barely move.

"You look like… something the cat dragged in."

Tsumori laughed at his own joke. Then he put his hand up to the deep scratch that ran down one of his cheeks. Hiroki had done this at one point while he was thrashing about, trying to escape his assault on him the previous night.

"I have to admit you got me good, Hiro."

Hiroki stiffened in fear as now, finally able to focus, he saw what he had done and heard the dangerous tone in Tsumori's voice. He cowered as Tsumori stepped back over to him. But his master surprised him by ruffling his hair, though he did it so roughly he jarred Hiroki's tender bit ear, bringing tears to the neko's eyes.

"Don't worry, Hiro, I'm not going to punish you for that... Just yet. But you will be paying for it when you come home tonight." Tsumori said this with an evil smirk.

"For right now though, just get your sad neko ass up and fix my breakfast and get to work before you're late… Unless of course, you'd like to stay home with me all day today?"

Tsumori laughed as he felt Hiroki shiver under his hand.

"Oh, and by the way, you are to wear all your heavy piercings to school today."

"Yes, Tsumori-sama."

Hiroki slowly got up and set about making breakfast. He found himself wishing that Tsumori had just beat him right there instead of prolonging his suffering and humiliation.

* * *

><p>Hiroki surprisingly made it to the University, actually a little bit early. He limped into the neko lounge and set his things down. He settled very slowly into his chair, his abused backside was so tender.<p>

Unlike the regular human faculty, who had their own offices and their own lounge separate from the rest of the staff, neko faculty had no offices and so, had to use the tables in the lounge they shared with the rest of the University hybrids.

The other hybrids in the room, maintenance workers, teacher's assistants, and the few other nonhuman faculty, all looked at Hiroki curiously, but none made any move to approach him: he had not made many friends, putting all his time into his research and classes.

When the other hybrids had first heard the rumor that Lord Usami was no longer his owner, some of them were secretly pleased to see the neko professor taken down a peg or two. Many had thought the Kamijou cat was entirely too proud a creature for his own good.

As the last few months had gone on, however, and they had seen the professorial neko gradually reduced, most had begun to feel very bad for Hiroki. No neko, even if he was proud and standoffish, deserved to be treated like that.

Today they were all horrified with how bad Hiroki looked and shocked his master had let him out of the house in such a state. But what could they do? They themselves were only hybrids after all and unfortunately, pet cruelty laws were rarely enforced, even more so with certain species. Especially nekos of late, since the virus had been contained and there were now so many feline hybrids.

Hiroki flushed with embarrassment under the other employees' scrutiny and decided to go to his classroom early, rather than continue to endure all the pitying stares.

However, when his class started, his students were also shocked by how he looked that morning. Up until now, Hiroki had been pretty much able to conceal the direness of his situation but today, he clearly looked like he'd been on the losing end of a cat fight.

As he was giving his lecture, three boys in the back kept talking despite the disapproving looks he shot them.

They were all jocks, players on the University's soccer team. The largest of the three had already failed his "Introduction to Japanese Literature" class once before. Finally, the Kamijou cat had enough of their disrespect.

Without thinking Hiroki hurled a piece of chalk at the ringleader. Despite the distance and how stiff he was, his aim was dead on and caught the boy square in the forehead.

"Please, stop talking and pay attention!"

Hiroki's students gasped but he went back to his lecture as if nothing had happened. Inside though, he was as shocked with what he had done as his class had been.

The boys stopped talking, but their eyes followed their professor intensely throughout the rest of the lecture.

Hiroki was so disturbed by the fury in their glares that he almost lost his place once or twice. At one point, he gathered the long heavy sweater he'd worn to conceal his piercings around himself nervously as he continued, feeling as though the angry athletes could see right through it.

When the class finally ended, the three boys lingered in the back until the room was empty.

Hiroki was quickly trying to gather his books and papers together so that he could leave. He had a very bad feeling about this. But before he could escape, the three swaggered their way down to the front and stood between him and the door.

The biggest of the trio, the one that Hiroki had hit with the chalk, towered threateningly over him.

"What's the idea, throwing stuff at me, you dumb cat! It's obvious looking at that eye you can't fight for shit, so why pick a battle you know you can't win?"

Hiroki tried to stand up straight, but the kid sounded so much like Tsumori; his ears flattened and his tattered tail curled up protectively between his legs.

"I think it's time the students taught their teacher a lesson!" One of the smaller ones said.

Hiroki shrunk back as his students closed in.

* * *

><p><strong>How will Hiroki escapewill he?... **

**Thank you for reading and reviewing!**


	5. Giant: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Five: Giant**

* * *

><p>As the three boys drew closer to him, something happened to Hiroki.<p>

He suddenly realized that these boys were not Tsumori, they were his students and he was their teacher.

His mind flashed with some of the terrible stories he'd heard about what had happened to other hybrid faculty. Right then and there, he decided no matter how stiff and bruised he was or how out-numbered, he was not going down without a fight.

Hiroki raised himself up and hissed. Even his injured tail seemed to find new courage and uncurled and defiantly fluffed.

The largest of the boys raised his hand to hit Hiroki, his two friends stepped up, ready to follow their leader. Then out of nowhere a booming voice startled all them.

"What in the hell is going on here?"

A large hand fiercely gripped the arm that had been about to strike Hiroki. Another hand had somehow simultaneously grabbed the back of both of the other boys' shirts.

All three turned to glimpse whoever it was that would dare intervene and found themselves looking into the face of a very angry giant.

"Nowaki?" Hiroki gasped. He was so startled, thankful, and terribly embarrassed all at the same time he forgot to add the "san" to Nowaki's name.

Nowaki had gone home from Tsumori's last night, but he hadn't been able to rest. All he could think about was the poor battered neko he'd left behind at his Senpai's. He had never been so disappointed with himself before. He knew he should have never abandoned Hiro-san in the condition he was in, regardless of his relationship with the older intern.

He had worried over the situation until early this morning and then had finally come up with a plan.

Nowaki felt he had to talk with Hiroki about his decision before he did anything, so he had come to the University first thing, before he had to go to one of his other many jobs. He had found out where the neko professor's class was and from the looks of things, he had arrived not a moment too soon.

"I said what's going on here?" Nowaki's voice was softer now, but the coldness of it went straight to the bellies of Hiroki's three attackers.

"Nothin'…. Let me go, man, you're hurting my arm!" The ringleader cried. He tried to break free, but Nowaki's grip was like iron.

"That's funny, because it looked to me like you guys were about to gang up on your professor." Nowaki rattled the other two boys by their shirts as he said this. The boys' scared faces grew increasingly pale.

"That stupid neko hit me with a piece of chalk!" The biggest boy whined.

"Hiro-san, is that true?"

Hiroki gulped and nodded. "Yes, Nowaki." He was almost more frightened of how angry Nowaki looked than he had been of the boys.

"Why?"

"Because they wouldn't stop talking when I was giving my lecture." Hiroki dropped his eyes away from Nowaki's fearsome expression. Nowaki immediately turned his fierce gaze on the boys in his grasp.

"Well, then, it certainly sounds as though you merited that chalk and in fact, probably much more.

"You should have a much greater respect for education than that! Talking in class, how rude! And you should have more respect for your professors!" Nowaki recalled the pains Hiro-san had gone to last night to work on his grading, despite his terrible situation.

"Especially one as dedicated as Hiro-san… I mean," Nowaki looked questioningly at Hiroki, his face much less fierce.

"Kamijou," Hiroki offered shyly.

"As I was saying, Kamijou-sensei deserves your utmost respect, whether he is a neko or not. Now apologize to him!"

All four males looked at Nowaki with amazement.

"I said apologize!" Nowaki's voice was louder this time and his tone dangerous.

"I'm sorry, Kamijou-sensei," the ringleader gasped. His eyes filled with tears: Nowaki was gripping his arm so hard it was starting to hurt terribly.

"All of you."

"We're awfully sorry, Kamijou-sensei," the other two boys said in unison.

Nowaki looked at Hiroki. "Do I let them go, Hiro-san? Or do I take them down to the Dean's office?"

"Let them go, Nowaki-san." Hiroki was not feeling well and suddenly just wanted to sit down.

"Okay, Hiro-san." Nowaki turned back to the boys. "Kamijou-sensei is obviously more forgiving than I am and has graciously decided to let you go. Understand, however, that if anything happens to him... If so much as one tender hair on his head is disturbed... You will be dealing with me! Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" All three boys cried.

"Then go now!" Nowaki whipped the trio around and gave them a push as he released them, sending them towards the door. The youths wasted no time in scrambling away.

Nowaki turned to the shaken hybrid professor. Hiroki tensed, but relaxed almost immediately when he saw that Nowaki now had the same kind expression on his face as he'd had last night when they had first met.

"Are you okay, Hiro-san?" Nowaki then he added contritely, "I apologize for saying 'hell' earlier. I am sorry to have subjected you to that kind of rough language, but I wanted to get those boys' attention."

Hiroki blushed. He was touched by the apology, especially considering the way that Tsumori talked to him all the time.

"I think you got their attention, Nowaki-san." Hiroki almost smiled. His tail twitched in relief even though it hurt him. "I could have handled them myself, you know though," he mumbled looking away.

"I'm sure you could have, Hiro-san." Nowaki smiled broadly, pleased to see this bit of pride. It meant Hiro-san had not been completely broken by Tsumori's cruelty. Then his grin faded as he really looked at Hiroki for the first time that day.

"Oh, Hiro-san, what happened?"

Hiroki winced and tried not to pull away as he felt Nowaki's big, warm hand gently grasp his chin and turn his face upwards.

"Nothing… I, uh... fell after you left last night."

"This doesn't look like the kind of injury you get from a fall."

Nowaki carefully traced the base of Hiroki's bitten ear, well away from the wound with his other hand as he said this. Seeing Hiroki's swollen eye broke his heart and he imagined there were probably other new injuries hidden beneath the tattered neko's clothes.

"Ah, Hiro-san... I'm so sorry. I should have never left you there alone with Senpai last night!"

Nowaki sounded almost as though he might cry. This distressed Hiroki. He did not want to cause Nowaki any pain, since he'd had been so kind.

"Nowaki-san, it's okay. After all, you're not responsible for me. Tsumori-sama is my master and he has the right to do whatever he wants with me."

It galled Hiroki to have to ascribe the honorific "sama" to someone as low as Tsumori, but as a neko, he had no say in how he must address his master, let alone dare to try and dictate his owner's actions. Hiroki found himself uncomfortably reminded of his behavior towards Akihiko.

"Besides," the broken catman said softly, "I am sure if Tusmori-sama thought I needed correction, I must have deserved it."

Hearing Hiroki say this hurt Nowaki's heart more than anything he could have imagined.

"No one deserves that, Hiro-san." He saw Hiroki look up at him. There were hopeless tears shining on the surface of the neko's beautiful, big, russet-colored eyes. In that moment Nowaki had never seen any creature look so sad or so beautiful.

"Hiro-san..." Nowaki hesitated. "if you don't have another class right away, there's something I'd like to talk with you about. Is there someplace we can go?"

* * *

><p><strong>Poor MeltXD. Your plea for Hiroki nearly broke my heart! <strong>

**Thank you for reading and reviewing.**


	6. Choice:Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Six: Choice**

* * *

><p>Hiroki quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and looked away, ashamed to show himself so openly to a stranger. Still, there was something in Nowaki's way that made him wish to linger in the tall youth's presence.<p>

"My next class is in an hour. I suppose we could go to the neko lounge and talk; if that is agreeable to you, Nowaki-san?"

Nowaki breathed a sigh of relief and a smile filled his handsome face.

"That would be great, Hiro-san!"

The bedraggled neko looked at Nowaki wonderingly. He turned to get his book bag off the podium and winced as he settled its strap on his badly bruised shoulder.

"Hiro-san, why don't you let me carry that for you?" Nowaki picked the strap up carefully, sliding it off Hiroki's shoulder, and hitching it up on his own.

"No, idiot, I can carry it myself!"

Hiroki clapped his small hands over his mouth. His eyes widened in horror at the words that had accidentally slipped out. He looked fearfully up at Nowaki, expecting to once again see rage in the man's face, but Nowaki just continued to smile.

Nowaki, far from angry, was delighted by the hybrid's burst of fierce pride.

"You're so cute, Hiro-san!" Nowaki's smile broadened when he saw the adorable scowl that overtook Hiroki's face when he said this. He gave the top of Hiroki's head a very gentle ruffle.

Hiroki frowned at this and tried to limp out of the room with as much dignity as possible, though he still really felt weak from the previous night's abuse and the fright of the confrontation with the three boys.

"I am too old of a cat to be called 'cute', Nowaki-san... 'Cute' is for kittens, which I most definitely am not." Hiroki said this mildly, however, his horribly honest tail rose up and twitched in irritation.

The two made a strange pair, walking down the halls of the University. They drew numerous stares, the tall, glowing doctor-to-be and the shorter, beleaguered neko. Hiroki found himself walking much closer to Nowaki than he usually would have another person. Something about the man gave him strength and made him feel safe.

He was shocked when suddenly Nowaki unexpectedly reached out and took his hand.

"What are you doing, Nowaki-san? People will see us!" Hiroki hissed.

"What's wrong with that?" Nowaki reluctantly allowed Hiroki to pull his paw away. "Can't friends hold hands?"

Hiroki blushed. He was both pleased and conflicted by Nowaki calling him a friend. He didn't have many (well, _any_ really, right now) and could certainly use one. At the same time, he was disturbed to realize that Nowaki stirred some feelings in him that went beyond friendly.

When they reached the neko lounge, Hiroki once again asked if Nowaki minded talking here before they entered.

"Not at all, why would I?"

"Well, most full humans don't like to come in here. They think it's beneath them."

"That's just silly, Hiro-san." Nowaki walked in with no hesitation.

Finding a quiet corner at the far side of the room well away from the other hybrid employees that dotted the lounge the pair settled in.

It took a while for Hiroki to get himself seated comfortably. Nowaki stayed standing and watched this with a look of grave concern in his eyes. He didn't want to embarrass the professor further at the moment by bringing up his condition, so instead he asked Hiroki if he could bring him a cup of tea.

"You shouldn't be waiting on me, Nowaki-san." Hiroki was embarrassed, but when he saw the determination in the doctor's blue eyes he blushingly relented.

"Yes, please. That would be very nice."

Hiroki watched as Nowaki walked casually across the room to get the tea. He smiled and politely said 'hello' to each astonished hybrid that he past.

Several working nekos wondered who this strange man was that was in their lounge, hanging out with the standoffish Kamijou cat. A few entertained the idea that perhaps this was Kamijou-sensei's new master, but then quickly discarded the thought. The man seemed too pleasant and nice to possibly have been the one responsible for the cinnamon neko's diminished state.

Nowaki returned with the tea. He took a chair opposite Hiroki, blocking the professor from the view of his curious co-workers.

Hiroki accepted the tea gratefully, but eyed Nowaki warily as the man began to act increasingly nervous.

"Nowaki-san, what's wrong?"

"Hiro-san, I don't know how really to go about saying this, so I will just be plain about it. I don't think you should stay with Tsumori-senpai anymore. It is obvious that he hurts you and you're not safe there."

Hiroki felt his ears grow hot and his tail twitched in embarrassed agitation at Nowaki's bluntness.

"You are right, he does hurt me, but as I said before, Nowaki-san, Tsumori is my master. I belong to him," Hiroki's sad voice was almost a whisper. Though they were quite well away from the rest of the nekos he did not want anyone to hear the painful truth of his situation.

"Yes, I know. That's why I wanted to know if you would be okay with me trying to buy you from Tsumori-senpai?"

Hiroki looked at Nowaki in open disbelief. Nowaki rushed on, mistaking the look in the neko's huge eyes for panic.

"I admit I have never had a pet before, and I don't really know much about nekos, it's true. But I am a quick study and I'm sure I could learn how to take care of you quickly.

"I know that you also have only known me a day, and I understand, given what you've been through, why you might be scare… apprehensive of someone new that you don't know, but I would never purposely hurt you, Hiro-san. This I can promise you.''

Hiroki's brown ears were standing completely up, turned towards every word Nowaki was saying. He couldn't help it, his big russet eyes filled with tears.

"Why would you do that, Nowaki-san? Look at me! I'm nothing but a mangy bag of bones, why would you ever want me?" Hiroki used Tsumori's words from the previous night. Then recalling them further, he added. "I would rather be beaten to death than purchased by someone out of pity."

"Oh, Hiro-san…It's not like that at all. You are so much more than you know. I could see how special you were the first time I saw you.

"You are an amazing creature: passionate, dedicated. And this," Nowaki gently smoothed away, with one of his long fingers, the first tear that had broken free from Hiroki's eyes and rolled down his bruised cheek, "your tears are why I want to take you from Tsumori-senpai.

"You were so sad when I first met you and I never want you to be that sad again. The only tears I ever want to see you cry are tears of happiness."

Hiroki hung his head, he was crying freely now. Nowaki leaned in and took Hiroki's cool, fine-boned hands in his own large warm ones.

"Nowaki..." Hiroki's voice was barely audible. "Why are you asking me? Why didn't you just go talk to Tsumori-sama?"

Nowaki seemed surprised at the question.

"Hiro-san, I would never think to be so presumptuous. Surely you should have a say in who you belong to. Even if you only want to stay with me for a time, until you get healed and find someone else better, that should ultimately be your choice."

Hiroki was overwhelmed. No human had ever talked with him like this before. Even Akihiko had never thought to ask when he'd bought him, if this was what he had wanted.

After what Nowaki had just offered him, with this single acknowledgement, already, Hiroki could not imagine ever finding anyone more remarkable . It was something no one had ever given him before: a choice.

"Nowaki," Hiroki blushed from the tips of his ears to the end of his tail. This same tender tail slipped up and wrapped shyly around one of Nowaki's wrists as the two continued to hold hands.

"I think I might very much like to belong to you."

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><p><strong>Thanks to those of you who have been so generous with your comments. Your reviews are much appreciated.<strong>


	7. Leash: Egoist, Tsumori

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Seven: Leash**

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><p>Hiroki was shocked at how happy his answer made Nowaki. The man was beaming from ear to ear. "Oh, Hiro-san, thank you so much, I promise I will take very good care of you!"<p>

Hiroki's tail slowly uncurled from around Nowaki's wrist. It twitched nervously, as did his ears. "You know, I can take pretty good care of myself."

"Of course, Hiro-san, I didn't mean any disrespect." Nowaki was so pleased to see, despite his battered appearance, how much the small cat man seemed to be reviving. This display of feistiness was just so cute.

Hiroki was constantly amazed at how good-natured Nowaki seemed to be with him (especially after how angry the man had been with the boys who'd threatened him earlier). Nowaki almost seemed to like it when he talked back. While he was thinking about this, Hiroki was startled by a pair of soft warm lips quickly brushing his forehead.

"Nowaki!" he cried. Hiroki couldn't believe the man had kissed him in the midst of the neko lounge in front of all his colleagues. (Though truthfully, the way that Nowaki was sitting, blocking the rest of the room from viewing them with his back, no one had actually seen them.)

Nowaki just smiled at the hybrid's response. He sat back and gave Hiroki's head one final ruff. "I have to go now, Hiro-san, or I'm going to be late for work. What time do you get done with classes today?"

"I have to teach until 3:30 today. Why?"

"Well, I get done with work at the flower shop at 4:00. I can be here by 4:30. Can I meet you here? Then we can go to Senpai's together. I really don't want you to be alone with Tsumori anymore." Nowaki's blue eyes flashed uneasily, thinking about his terrible supervisor.

"You work at a flower shop? I thought you worked at the hospital."

"Oh, I do work at the hospital and do my residency there as well, but I also have two other jobs. One is at a flower shop."

Hiroki was now also very impressed with his potential owner's work ethic.

"I think that would work… as long as I'm home by five. Otherwise Tsumori will get mad and he won't be easy to talk to then." Hiroki said this nervously. Five o'clock would be pushing the limit. But then looking at Nowaki's sweet face he felt much more at ease.

"Wonderful. I'll see you this afternoon." Nowaki said this as he got up and headed out of the neko lounge. "Goodbye, Hiro-san," he called back over his shoulder.

The eyes of the other working pets in the lounge followed the strange, tall visitor as he left. Many wondered about how informally he addressed Kamijou-sensei. It was impossible to think that even with his pride the Kamijou cat would be unfaithful to his master, and yet, there did seem to be a definite connection between the two. As soon as Nowaki was out of sight, the other animals began to murmur and all eyes turned back to Hiroki.

Hiroki puffed his tail at the curious gazes directed at him and scowled, his bad eye giving him a particularly fierce expression. The other hybrids looked away quickly and Hiroki proudly retreated behind his students' papers.

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><p>The rest of Hiroki's day teaching went without incident. Though he had been horribly stiff and sore throughout his lectures, the hope of his conversation with Nowaki was like a powerful painkiller. It carried him throughout the day. Even the Kamijou cat's students could tell a difference in their professor's spirits.<p>

Now it was almost four and Hiroki was waiting anxiously in the almost empty hybrid lounge for Nowaki to show up. The minutes seemed to crawl by and he could not believe how nervous he was. _"What if Nowaki changes his mind? What if Tsumori refuses to sell me to him?"_ Hiroki's tail swished back and forth as though it was pacing. He tried to distract himself from these thoughts by looking at his students' newest essays.

He took out a purple pen (red was too strident for a mere neko) and set to work. He had finally relaxed a bit, aside from his telltale tail, and was engaged in reading an almost decent essay, when suddenly…

"Hiro, get your ass over here!"

The sound of Tsumori's voice stopped Hiroki's tail in its tracks. Hiroki felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. He shrunk back. If he could have hidden he would have, but Tsumori had clearly seen him. The man was standing in the doorway of the lounge. He refused to come into a space designated for hybrids. Hiroki didn't know what to do except obey. He stood shakily and began putting his papers into his bag.

"Leave that shit there, and get over here now!" Tsumori barked. "It's not like you're going to need it where you're going anyway," he muttered under his breath.

Hiroki did as he was told. He was mortified as he walked over to his master at the stunned stares of the few other hybrids in the room witnessing this degrading incident. When he reached Tsumori, the man clutched his pet by the shirt and held him as he took off Hiroki's light work collar and put the heavy one he had to wear at home on.

"I thought I'd better come down and pick you up myself." Tsumori fumbled with the collar's stiff buckle. He pulled on it hard, scraping Hiroki's delicate skin. "I figured since you knew you had a punishment coming when you got home today for scratching me last night, and since you already ran away once, that you might try to again." Tsumori pulled out Hiroki's lead. "Clip this on your collar."

"Please, Tsumori-sama, don't make me wear the leash. I promise that I won't try and run away." Hiroki could not keep the plea from his tone. While it was the law that every neko must wear a visible collar while in public, leashing a neko was done at the owner's prerogative. No neko wanted to be seen on a leash, however, because that indicated the one was a problem and not a good pet. Hiroki could imagine few things more humiliating than being forced to walk through the University's halls trailing behind his master on a lead.

Tsumori roughly grabbed Hiroki's collar and pulled the neko forward clipping it on himself. "We're going home, now!" He said angrily striding forward. "And just know, you're going to be getting extra punishment for talking back to me."

Hiroki dug in his heels and received a bone-jarring jerk as a result.

"What the fuck!" Tsumori shouted.

"I'm so sorry, Tsumori-sama, but please, I have a human student that was supposed to meet me at my table in the lounge in a few minutes," Hiroki lied. "May I please go write her a note, so that when she comes, she does not waste time waiting for me?"

"If you think it's worth adding another punishment to your list, Hiro, go right ahead… but I am going to stand right here and watch you, so no fucking funny business."

Hiroki gulped and nodded at his furious master. He moved into the room as fast as his bruised body would carry him and scribbled out his note. Then he met his owner at the door and followed Tsumori out, walking meekly behind him on his lead. Hiroki's ears were completely flat and his tail showed no life at all. The disgrace was unbearable, but he did not want to cause any more of a scene.

As they stepped out onto the grounds of the campus and headed towards Tsumori's dreaded apartment, Hiroki prayed fervently that Nowaki would find his note.

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><p><strong>I hope you didn't think it was going to be all roses just yet...<strong>

**Thank you for reading and reviewing!**


	8. Note: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Eight: Note**

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><p>All day while he was at work Nowaki's thoughts kept returning to the cinnamon neko. It was a little strange for him to consider all the feelings that emerged every time Hiro-san came into his mind.<p>

Nowaki always kind of knew that he liked boys more than girls, but he'd never had a boyfriend. He thought that was just because he hadn't met the right person yet. He had a very big heart, but that didn't mean he would give it away to just anyone. Except now, it seemed like Hiro-san had crept in on his little neko paws and curled up there: the hybrid professor filled the whole space of Nowaki's heart.

Nowaki had always believed that in love it was the person, not the gender, which was important. Now he found he needed to add species to this sentiment. So he wasn't upset to realize that he had fallen in love with a neko, just surprised and a bit worried that Hiro-san might not be able to love him back in the same way. Even so, Nowaki had hope that if he was patient, he might be able to win Hiro-san's true affections. If he couldn't however, Nowaki knew that regardless, Hiro-san needed him right now and that he had to save hiim from Tsumori.

Nowaki was so preoccupied thinking about Hiroki that he actually made several mistakes at the flower shop that day, which hardly ever happened. (Like accidentally putting a funeral condolence card in someone's anniversary bouquet). Luckily his boss caught all of the mix-up before the flowers went out.

As it got closer to the time for him to go pick Hiro-san up, Nowaki felt more and more nervous. He kept looking at the clock urging it to go faster. Finally, however, his boss told him that perhaps he should just take off a few minutes early and go home. He said this good naturedly because Nowaki had previously always been such a good employee.

Nowaki thanked his boss gratefully and ran out the door.

Even though he went as fast as he could, there was a delay with the metro, Nowaki arrived at the University at 4:15 and went straight to the neko lounge. Hiro-san wasn't there. Nowaki recognized the neko professor's book bag on a table in the same area where the two of them had sat and talked earlier that day. He walked over and sat down. _Hiro-san has probably just stepped out for a minute_. He was early after all.

As he was sitting there, Nowaki decided to do something very forward. He hoped Hiro-san would not get too mad at him for it. He smiled slightly to himself. _A mad Hiro-san would probably be very cute though. _Nowaki started carefully gathering the professor's papers and putting them in his bag so that when he came back they could just go.

While he was doing this a small neko woman crept shyly up to him. "Ummm, excuse me, sir?" She said with a humble bow. She was very nervous about approaching this strange man, but Nowaki's warm smile when he turned to greet her made her instantly feel more at ease. "I saw you here earlier with Kamijou-Sensei, are you a friend of his?" The lady neko seemed upset.

"I am," said Nowaki after returning her gesture. "I am waiting for him now. I hope that it is okay. I know not many people come into your lounge."

"Oh, no, that's fine." She had witnessed the whole terrible scene between Hiroki and Tsumori. "I just wanted to tell you I don't think that the professor will be back anytime soon."

"What? Why?" Nowaki's smile suddenly disappeared.

"Well, Kamijou-Sensei's master came by and picked him up not too long ago. Normally, I wouldn't say anything, but his owner seemed very angry about something and even put the professor on a leash to take him away." She clucked her tongue sadly as she said this thinking of the proud hybrid's reduced state, The lady neko watched as the tall man's face first became very pale and then grew very dark.

"Thank you so much for telling me," Nowaki said as he jumped up. He grabbed the last of Hiro-san's papers and the professor's bag and immediately headed for the door. As he went to stuff the papers inside, he happened to glance down and see on the top paper a hurried scrawl of purple pen.

_Nowaki-san,_

_Last night I scratched Tsumori. He's taking me home to be punished. Please help me._

_-Hiro-san_

The words made Nowaki's blood run cold. He dropped the papers and the bag and started running as fast as he could.

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><p>Hiroki followed Tsumori quietly all the way home. He hated all the looks that he got along the way. People would stand aside or move off not wanting to get too close to an obviously unruly neko. It didn't help either that he looked so bad.<p>

Once they were out amongst people, Tsumori immediately switched on his charm. He smiled and chatted with people, completely ignoring Hiroki, which was fine with the professor because that meant he at least wasn't being jerked around. Hiroki put a tentative hand up to his neck. The base of it was so raw from the collar and Tsumori's pulling, Hiroki worried that it might soon start to bleed. He also wondered if he might not have a slight case of whiplash from when he had resisted his owner back at the University.

A sudden tug startled him. He looked up and saw Tsumori give him a dark look. Hiroki put his hand down and Tsumori nodded. The man turned back to the pretty woman he had been chatting with. The catman watched her give his owner her number as Tsumori flashed her his winning grin.

Tsumori's smiles stopped, however, as soon as they reached the apartment building.

Hiroki tried not to cry out as Tsumori gave his leash a particularly vicious yank as they stepped out of the elevator and into the narrow hallway leading to the man's home. Hiroki got a terrible sinking feeling in his stomach when he saw two very rough looking men standing outside his master's door. His ears flattened in fear and he grabbed his spasmodic tail trying to keep it still.

"Hey, guys, you're a bit early!" Tsumori called out cheerfully.

"Lucky you showed up just now. We were going to leave in a minute," the bigger of the two replied. His voice was low and harsh.

"That the neko?" The smaller of the two asked. He had a weasely voice and an evil grin on his face.

Hiroki tried to stand as far away as possible from the two men who were eying him intently while Tsumori unlocked the door. Tsumori pushed in dragging Hiroki behind him.

The men followed closely behind.

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><p><strong>Thanks everyone for the great reviews. <strong>

**Old AN: **

**Thanks Kirakrz for the defense and Yaoifangirl4ever… I'm glad you like my story so much.**


	9. Knackers

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Nine: Knackers**

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><p>Hiroki's heart was pounding. As Tsumori had pulled the neko into the apartment past the two men, the professor had looked down and saw the tattoo each sported on his left hand. The men were "knackers." Hiroki had first heard the term when he was in lockup with the rest of the feral and runaway nekos after the raid on the park.<p>

The use of animals in testing products and for medical research had been becoming increasingly restrictive over the last few years in Japan. The use of hybrids for such purposes, due to their shared human characteristics, meanwhile, had been forbidden for decades. But, because of these human traits, there were distinct advantages in using hybrids for certain tests and some medical research facilities and corporations with less than perfect morals, still used them, despite the bans. These places were a living hell for any hybrid. Locked for days on end in tiny cages, shocked, starved, operated on, injected with all manner of things. The only hope of release from a place like this was death.

With the law against using nekos, the black market trade in them was a lucrative business. The people who trafficked in nekos, the ones who secured the hybrids for testing and god only knows what else, were known as "knackers." Most of these individuals worked in conjunction as part of larger mafia operations. They were known by insignia tattoos inked on the left hand.

The ferals at lock up had spoken of these people in hushed tones. The knackers often actively hunted or tried to trap feral nekos, they also bought used up or unwanted pets, sometimes even stole unattended nekos out of cars or their owners' yards. It was easier and cheaper than breeding them, (turnover was faster and hybrid reproduction could be a tricky thing.)

Though there were back up checks for auctions like the one where Hiroki had been sold to Tsumori, there was still a chance that a knacker might slip through. This thought terrified the feral nekos, because once a knacker had a neko...

Tsumori had Hiroki by the collar and had turned him around to face the men. "After your shameful behavior last night, Hiro," the man hissed into his neko's injured ear. "I decided no simple punishment will do. I've tried that and you just never seem to learn. So something a bit more dramatic seemed in order. Besides, I don't want there to be any chance of you distracting Nowaki from what he really needs, which is me. So… I've decided to sell you. These two men are going to take you to your new home." Tsumori grinned evilly as he said this.

"He looks a little shabby," the big knacker said.

"Does it matter really, with where he's going?" Tsumori asked. "Besides, you agreed to buy him sight unseen."

"Nah, it doesn't matter to us. The Doc might complain a bit, but that really depends on what he decides to use him for."

"So this is punishment for him, huh?" the weasely one asked. Hiroki did not at all like the look in the little man's eye.

"Yeah, he's been a very bad kitty," Tsumori barked humorlessly. He rattled Hiroki as he said this.

"So then, you wouldn't mind if we had a little fun with him before we take him?" the small man said. "I mean, we'll do it regardless, it's just this place is a little more comfortable than the back of our van." His eyes scanned the apartment.

The taller of the two men nodded in silent agreement.

Hiroki was terrified. He looked at Tsumori, his russet eyes huge with fear, but the man just laughed. "Suit yourself, but I get to watch, I wouldn't mind seeing my cat slut in one final show."

The cinnamon neko looked on in horror as both of the knackers began to take off their coats. In his panic, Hiroki began to struggle, trying to wriggle out of Tsumori's grip on his collar.

"God damn it, Hiro, be still!" Tsumori wrapped one arm around Hiroki's neck. With his other hand he gave the neko's torn brown ear a sharp twist.

"Fuck!" Tsumori shouted. Hiroki had somehow managed to find a way to latch on with his teeth to the arm the man was restraining him with. He'd given Tsumori a very severe bite. The moment the man had loosened his grasp in pain and surprise, Hiroki broke free and darted under the dining-room table.

"Get that little cat shit!" Tsumori screamed at the two knackers, holding his injured arm with his other hand. Blood began to leak out from between his fingers.

The other two men went to try and grab Hiroki, but every time they reached under the table the desperate neko lashed out, scratching or biting and they just couldn't get a hold of him. "I've got a Taser in the van," the big one finally said. "I'll go down and get it. I'm not getting the shit scratched out of me trying to catch that little fucker."

"Watch him," he ordered the little man.

"He's not going anywhere," the weasel assured.

The big knacker put his hand to his mouth, sucking on deep scratch in the web of skin between his thumb and index finger. He looked at the wound with disgust and then darkly at Tsumori, "I thought you said he was tame." He strode to the door and opened it. The man drew back in surprise, however, finding himself suddenly face to face with a very angry Nowaki.

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><p><strong>As you can see, I am not that much of a sadist as to let all three of those guys hurt Hiroki. Honestly, readers, you make me feel so cruel. <strong>

**Review and I will give you more... **


	10. Anything: Egoist, Tsumori

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Ten: Anything**

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><p>Nowaki had heard the commotion going on down the hall in Tsumori's apartment the minute he stepped out of the elevator. His concern for Hiro-san's safety rose with each step he took towards the door. When he finally reached it, he was prepared to break it down if that was what he had to do to save Hiro-san. Nowaki had raised his large hand, curled into a fist to pound on the door and was just as surprised as the knacker, when it suddenly swung open, revealing the chaotic scene playing out behind it.<p>

The knacker retreated a few paces, there was a dangerous aura emanating from the tall man standing in the hallway.

"What the hell's stopping you? Go get the Taser!" Tsumori came up behind the man to see why he had ceased his movement out of the apartment and was shocked to see Nowaki standing in his doorway.

"Kusama!" Tsumori bleated in surprise. He ran his hands through his blond hair and tugged on his shirt, trying to make himself look presentable. "What a surprise. What are you doing here?"

Nowaki just stared at Tsumori. He was not going to waste any more time with his senpai's charade. "Where's Hiro-san?"

"What?" Tsumori was taken aback by Nowaki's question and thrown off by the dark expression on the younger man's usually bright face.

"Your neko, Tsumori, Kamijou Hiroki, where is he?"

Tsumori's jaw dropped. He had never heard Nowaki speak so forcefully before.

"Who the fuck are you?" The weasely knacker had abandoned his post at the table and was moving towards the other men in the hallway.

"I'm Kusama Nowaki and I've come for the neko." Nowaki's usually gentle voice had become hard and menacing.

"Your pussy sure is popular," the big knacker said to Tsumori, by now he'd regained his composure. He turned back to Nowaki and said with a sneer, "too late, big fella, the catman is ours."

Nowaki's expression shifted rapidly, his face registering shock as what the other man told him sank in. "What are you talking about?"

"Tsumori has sold the neko to us," the weasel said.

At this announcement, Nowaki made a lunge for Tsumori, he grabbed the blond by the neck and slammed him against the wall. "You bastard! Have they paid you yet?" Nowaki said to his senpai who was now gasping in his grip. "Have you signed the papers transferring ownership?"

"Nn... no," Tsumori choked, barely able to breathe.

"How much?"

"What?"

"How much did they offer you, Senpai? I will double… no, triple whatever it is if you will sell Hiro-san to me."

Just then, Nowaki felt a sharp blow to his kidneys as the large man behind him attacked. The pain of the impact dropped the tall man to his knees.

In an instant the big knacker was on top of him. He grabbed Nowaki by the back of the neck with one hand, with the other, the gangster knacker grabbed one of the medical student's arms and then twisted it up behind his back. Nowaki, who still hadn't recovered from the first blow, found himself gasping at this new pain. He could feel the muscle straining as his arm was pushed up higher. He knew it would not take much more pressure for it to break.

"Wait a minute here, big guy, before you go getting all bent out of shape," the weasel said, nodding to his partner, who immediately increased his grip on Nowaki. "We had a deal."

Under the table, Hiroki could hear what was happening. He knew that they had Nowaki and the thought that they might hurt the one who had been so kind to him, who had tried to rescue him even now, was too much. "Nowaki?" Hiroki called as he crept out from under the table. Seeing how the big knacker was pinning the man, Hiroki cried. "Don't hurt him, please, I'll go with you, just let him go!"

The little knacker turned back and was on the neko in no time. He grabbed Hiroki by his collar and soon had the catman in a similar hold. Hiroki hissed as his already stiff limb was twisted unbearably upwards.

From their positions on the floor Hiroki and Nowaki stared at each other, both man and neko were panting with pain and each was silently apologizing to the other with his eyes.

The weasel suddenly lifted Hiroki up off his knees. He slammed the poor catman down, bending him over the table. He pressed against Hiroki's backside. Hiroki's tail swished madly as though trying to push the man away. All the violence had excited the small knacker and the neko could feel the man's obvious arousal pressing into him.

"We were just getting ready to have some fun with this little cat bitch before you came barging in. But I say the more, the merrier. Maybe you'd like to watch?" The weasel shot Nowaki an incredibly evil grin. As he said this, the man let go of Hiroki's collar. He kept the pressure on the neko's delicate limb as he used his free hand to strip Hiroki from the waist down. Hiroki couldn't help it, though he wanted to be brave in front of Nowaki, he let out a small mewl of terror at the sudden exposure and the impending violation that it indicated.

The gasping Tsumori had gone and shut the apartment door. He'd returned now and was standing in front of Nowaki. Nowaki looked up at his senpai. His eyes were watering with the increasing ache in his arm and with the strong emotions that filled him as he saw what the other man intended to do to his Hiro-san. He looked from the weasel, back to Tsumori.

"Tell him to leave Hiro-san alone," Nowaki said, through his pain, his voice low and husky. "Tell them both the deal's off."

"Why the fuck would I do that after the shit you just tried to pull, Kusama?" Tsumori rasped, his voice still harsh and somewhat breathless. He rubbed the deep red marks around his throat from where Nowaki had grabbed him. They were already starting to bruise.

Nowaki watched in horror as the smaller man began to unzip his own pants and reach inside.

"Make them let Hiro-san go, Tsumori-senpai, sell him to me. I will do anything…" Nowaki gasped through the pain.

"I could make you do anything now." The big knacker breathed into Nowaki's ear from behind him, pushing his arm up an infinitesimal amount higher. Nowaki growled through gritted teeth as he felt his shoulder pop, but the bone in his arm did not give way.

Nowaki stared into Tsumori's cold eyes. "Yes, but that would not mean as much as if it was freely given. I swear, Tsumori-senpai, and you know I am an honorable man. Anything."

Tsumori searched Nowaki's eyes for guile, and saw only truth. He leaned back grinning. "Anything?"

From across the room Hiroki cried out, "Nowaki-san, no!" His huge eyes were overflowing with tears, he could not bear to see Nowaki reduced in this way.

"Anything," Nowaki repeated solemnly.

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><p><strong>Keep reading. I dare you...<strong>


	11. Deal: Egoist, Tsumori

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Eleven: Deal**

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><p>Tsumori had reached a decision. "Okay, you heard the man, the deal's off."<p>

"Not a wise move, Pal," the big trafficker said to the blond.

"My neko still, my choice. Let him go." Even though he was a complete asshole, Tsumori did have balls.

The knacker grunted in disgust and released Nowaki. Despite the pain, Nowaki rose quickly rubbing his shoulder. "Take your hands off Hiro-san now!" He said to the smaller man.

His gazed shifted between the two men. Nowaki did not look at all humbled, despite his decision. His blue eyes flashed black in his rage. "You heard Tsumori. The deal is off! Now leave, before I am forced to make a really unwise move and injure the both of you!"

Something in the expression of those black eyes went straight into the bowels of the hardened knackers. Even with Nowaki's injured arm, the big one was deeply regretting letting him loose.

"Fuck it, let's go!" The weasel said, suddenly growing very nervous. "No hybrid is worth all this shit!" He released Hiroki, who immediately darted back under the table, and tucked himself awkwardly back into his pants.

The other man simply nodded. Then he added looking at Tsumori as the pair left. "Don't get too comfortable, Tsumori. You never know when you might be seeing us again." The door slammed and suddenly the apartment was silent.

After a few awkward moments, Tsumori broke the quiet. He rubbed his still aching neck, "Well! That was certainly exciting, wasn't it, Nowaki. I'm glad you came when you did. I think I was about to make a terrible mistake. Letting Hiro go like that, especially when you were willing to make me such a much better offer. Tsumori walked over to the fridge in the kitchen and pulled out a beer. "Want one?" He shot Nowaki his most winning smile.

"No, Senpai," Nowaki's eyes remained black, his expression fierce.

Tsumori walked casually over to the couch and sat down. Nowaki didn't move but his gaze followed the other man's every motion.

"Kusama, that's no way to talk to me after the deal we just made." Tsumori seemed completely at ease now. He motioned with the bottom of his beer bottle towards the dining room table. "Before we clarify the terms of our agreement, oh honorable one, you might want to check on your neko."

Nowaki immediately knelt down and peered under the table. "Hiro-san?" He saw the battered cinnamon neko crouched and backed up against one of the table's far legs. The poor hybrid's eyes were completely wild with fright.

"Oh, Hiro-san," Nowaki soothed, "I'm so sorry. It's okay now though, those men are gone."

Tsumori watched, alternating between disgust and amusement, as Nowaki spent the next ten minutes coaxing the traumatized neko out from under the table.

When Nowaki's legs had grown tired of kneeling, he simply sat down cross-legged, moving so that his broad back rested against the outside of one of the table's legs. He completely ignored Tsumori as he waited for Hiroki to come out.

It had taken a while for Hiroki to believe that Nowaki was still really there and he wasn't going to end up raped or a tortured guinea pig in some sterile laboratory. Nowaki felt the neko professor draw close to him. He could hear the hybrid sniff slightly, measuring his scent as he approached. Nowaki stayed perfectly still, he did not want to make any sudden movements that might cause Hiroki to retreat again. His heart leapt when he felt the delicate edge of one the neko's ears brush up against his arm.

Hiroki couldn't help himself. Though he was appalled at the terrible bargain that Nowaki had struck with his owner to save him, he was so glad to see Nowaki, so grateful for the man's intervention, Hiroki slid himself around the tall man's shoulder and crawled straight into Nowaki's lap. He tucked himself in between the man's crossed legs. He wrapped his arms around his rescuer's neck, tucked his cinnamon head under Nowaki's chin and hid his face in Nowaki's broad chest, pointedly avoiding any eye contact with Tsumori, whose eyes had increasingly narrowed as he watched this scene unfold from his seat on the couch.

Nowaki winced as he put his still aching arm around the trembling neko. Hiroki could not stop shaking. "Are you cold, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked as his other hand gently stroked the poor catman's head. He pulled his hand back as his fingers grazed Hiroki's bitten ear and he found it sticky. Then he looked at his fingers and realized that they were stained with blood. Tsumori's cruel twist of Hiroki's ear had reopened the previous night's wound.

He kept his face neutral, but inside he continued to rage. Tsumori was so going to pay.

"I'm so sorry, Nowaki." The broken neko murmured into Nowaki's chest. Nowaki felt his shirt grow damp with the cinnamon catman's tears. "I'm not worth it. You should have just let them take me."

"Don't say that, Hiro-san," Nowaki whispered. His gentle fingers returned to stroking Hiroki's fear-fevered head. Not caring that they were under his senpai's jealous scrutiny, he nuzzled into Hiroki's good ear and said in a voice hardly louder than a breath. "I love you. You mean everything to me…" Rather than comfort, this only added to the poor neko's anguish. Under the cover of Hiroki's anguished sobs he added, "besides, I haven't given up anything yet."

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><p><strong>Did you dare? Comfort is the reward for your bravery...<strong>

**Thank you for reading and reviewing.**


	12. Kiss: Egoist, Tsumori

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Twelve: Kiss**

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><p>"Okay, that's enough of that lovey-dovey bullshit!" Tsumori was angered by Nowaki's obvious true affection for the cinnamon neko. "Let's get down to business."<p>

Nowaki looked up from the still weeping Hiroki. "Okay. Price?" He said, his voice flat, his blue eyes cold.

Tsumori named a figure and then added, "plus my bonus."

Nowaki's face remained impassive. "Fine." He reached around awkwardly to retrieve an envelope from his back pocket. After talking with Hiroki earlier that morning Nowaki had gone to the bank and withdrawn every penny of his savings.

Hiroki had gasped when he heard what Tsumori wanted for him. "It's too much, Nowaki. No one would ever pay that much."

Nowaki just hugged the hiccuping catman tighter with his injured arm, "Shhhh… It's okay, Hiro-san." With the other one he threw the envelope at his senpai's feet.

Tsumori reached over and picked it up. He opened the packet and began counting. "You're a little short, Kusama," then he added, "Ha! I bet that's the first time you've heard that since you were a kid." He laughed at his own joke.

Nowaki was not amused. "It's all I have. I'll get another job and pay you the rest as soon as I can. You know I'll keep my word."

Tsumori looked at Nowaki and clucked his tongue. "Honestly, Kusama, I thought you would have better taste than that. What is it about that stupid Kamijou cat that makes everyone want it so damn much?"

"Huh?" Nowaki looked confused.

Tsumori waved his last comment away. "Okay. Deal. Who knows, if things go well enough later, I may offer you a way to expedite paying off the rest of what you owe me."

Nowaki regarded the other man with barely concealed disgust.

"Now about the rest of our agreement, Kusama. You said anything." Tsumori gloated.

"I did." Nowaki's voice was emotionless.

"And you know what I want?"

"I have a pretty good idea," Nowaki said softly. "When do you want to collect on this?"

Tsumori belched and stood up from the couch. "No time like the present, big guy." He leered lustily at Nowaki as he said this.

"Where are Hiro-san's papers? I want to see them before anything happens." Nowaki did not trust the blond man at all.

"In the bedroom. Isn't that convenient?" Tsumori laughed; he was in high spirits now. "We can complete both transactions in the same place."

Nowaki said nothing. He unfolded his legs and awkwardly stood up without relinquishing his hold on Hiroki. He continued cradling the trauma-shocked neko in his arms.

"Cat stays out here, Kusama, I'm not that kinky that I want the animal watching us." Tsumori headed in the direction of his bedroom.

"I'm going to put Hiro-san in the bathroom for now. Just give me a minute."

This seemed strange to Tsumori, but he shrugged it off. Kusama was a strange guy; after all he liked that stupid neko enough to trade his virtue for it. Personally, Tsumori could have cared less about the cash, but he'd been wanting to fuck his kohai for years and now, he was finally going to have the chance. "Knock your socks off, Sport, and since I'm feeling generous at the moment, I'll give you five minutes. I'll get that bitch cat's papers in the meantime."

Nowaki tried to set Hiroki down on the bathroom floor, but the neko professor stuck to him like Velcro. "Come on, Hiro-san. Let go," he urged. "I'll be back to get you in a few minutes." When he finally managed to pry Hiroki off of him, Hiroki sat hunched on a small throw rug on the floor. The hybrid had wrapped his arms around his knees and had drawn these up tightly to his chest. The neko looked suddenly so small to Nowaki.

Nowaki pulled all the towels in the room off the racks. He knelt down and wrapped these around the shivering catman. He adjusted the cloths trying to make sure all of Hiroki was covered. While Hiroki would not look at him, Nowaki smiled to feel the neko wrap his tail around one of his wrists as he did this. Nowaki was surprised when he tried to pull away at how strongly the tattered brown tail gripped him.

"Are you sure, you're not part monkey too, Hiro-san?" Nowaki joked as he gently untwined Hiroki's tail with his other hand.

"How can you make light like that, at a time like this, Nowaki?" Hiroki choked, trying to hold back a new wave of tears.

"Hiro-san?" Nowaki gently lifted Hiroki's angular jaw. "Can I ask you something?"

Hiroki didn't say anything, but he nodded into Nowaki's palm.

"Can I kiss you?"

Hiroki's eyes widened at this request.

A slight blush crept into Nowaki's cheeks. "It's just that, I haven't really ever loved anyone before or done any of that other stuff. I'm afraid that Tsumori might try and kiss me and I don't want him to be my first."

Hearing this Hiroki was dumbfounded. It made the sacrifice Nowaki had willingly made for him all that more unbearable.

It was sad really, that with all that Hiroki had been through, he himself had had very few real kisses. "Nowa…" Hiroki had started to respond and then found himself cut off by the sweetest kiss he had ever had. Then what started as a gentle kiss, deepened and became something more frantic. Hiroki found himself leaning in to the tender hand that cradled his cheek. He opened his mouth and let Nowaki's tongue stroke his.

Nowaki opened his eyes and noticed that Hiroki's ears had perked straight up. The cinnamon professor's tail was undulating with pleasure, making broad sweeps back and forth across the floor. The medical student was startled to feel that Hiroki's tongue was a bit rough like a cat's as well. He wondered how it would feel when it was used on other parts. Nowaki pulled back smiling. The neko's eyes were filled with tears. "Thank you, Hiro-san," Nowaki said and placed another small kiss on Hiroki's worried forehead.

He stood and reached over to the sink and turned on the water. Then he did the same thing with the shower. Hiroki looked up at Nowaki, his haunted russet eyes confused. "Be brave, Hiro-san. I know you have been for so long already, but just a little longer, I promise. Like I said, I haven't given away anything yet."

"Kusama, get a move on," Tsumori shouted from the other room.

Nowaki looked anxiously at the running faucets and hoped the noise of them would be loud enough to cover the sounds that would soon be coming from the other room. He looked at the sweet cinnamon neko in his huddled bundle on the floor. Then Nowaki's voice became firm as the tormented neko looked up at him one last time. "Everything is going to be all right, Hiro-san, but no matter what you hear, I want you to stay right where you are and don't move until I come back and get you. Understand?"

And with that Nowaki backed out and closed the door.

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><p><strong>So, three chapters is a day. Yaoifangirl4ever, you should be pleased. <strong>

**So, a few readers wrote me today and said they were bailing on this fic because it was getting too rough. I respect that, everyone should know and abide by his/her limits. Though I am a bit saddened by this as then they will have only read the hurt and will miss out on the comfort. If you are hanging in there with me, please let me know...**


	13. Carried: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Thirteen: Carried**

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><p>Nowaki walked into Tsumori's bedroom. The blond was waiting for him there. He was leaning against a low dresser. Hiroki's pet documentation was spread out on its surface.<p>

"Okay, Kusama, here's all the paperwork on your neko."

Nowaki picked up the pages and flipped through them. "You haven't signed the releases."

"His ass for your ass." Tsumori's voice was greasy. He glided over to Nowaki and put his hand on the back of his kohai's thigh. He slid his palm up cupping the round firm cheek of Nowaki's butt and gave it a squeeze. The feel of Tsumori's hand on him made Nowaki's skin crawl. "I'll sign after we settle up."

With his free hand, Tsumori grabbed a handful of Nowaki's thick black hair and crushed his lips against the younger man's. Nowaki didn't resist. In fact, he stood there passively accepting his senpai's fervor. After a few moments of this, Tsumori pulled back and looked at Nowaki with disapproval. "You'd better get into this, baby, or I'm not signing. That's all part of the 'anything' you promised."

Nowaki said nothing at first, he just looked at Tsumori coldly, and then he sighed. "As you wish Tsumori-sama." There was sarcasm in his voice.

With that Nowaki suddenly came to life. He grabbed Tsumori and pushed him back against the wall. Nowaki enveloped the other man's mouth with his. Tsumori opened and Nowaki's tongue entered. The two men fought for dominance through the kiss. However, Nowaki had over twenty years of untapped seme energy bottled up within his large frame. This power rose up and within moments Tsumori had submitted and was groaning with pleasure.

Nowaki ran one of his big hands up under Tsumori's shirt. He slid it up the other man's stomach, over his pectorals. His fingers grazed one of the blond's nipples. Tsumori's increased moans were muffled under Nowaki's mouth. Nowaki could taste the beer on his senpai's tongue. Though it disgusted him, he persisted in the kiss, driving Tsumori deeper into ecstasy. Nowaki moved his leg between Tsumori's thighs. He pushed this up, grinding it against the blond's increasingly fevered groin.

Then, Nowaki pushed off of Tsumori, releasing him completely. He pulled his shirt off over his head and unzipped the front of his jeans allowing them to hang open in a tantalizing "V". "Is this what you wanted, Tsumori-sama?" His voice was low and husky.

Tsumori looked at Nowaki with amazement. The beautiful expanse of the other man's muscled chest, Nowaki's packed abdomen, and the glimpse of the man's briefs and the promise of what lay beneath them drove him crazy with lust. Tsumori was still breathless from the intensity of their kiss. "God, yes!" He gasped.

Nowaki crossed his arms over his chest and said firmly. "Then sign. I am a man of honor, Senpai, but I am afraid I do not hold you in that same regard." He added, "No offense."

Tsumori was so stirred by Nowaki his knees felt weak. He'd been completely unprepared for and overwhelmed by the strength and power of the tall seme. "Sure, Sport," he panted. He grabbed the pen and signed the documents. "No offense taken. Given the situation it's only natural, I guess." Finished, the pen fell from his shaking fingers.

"Now take off your clothes and get on the bed," Nowaki ordered.

Tsumori, in his fever of lust, immediately began to comply. "You know, Kusama, this isn't exactly how I envisioned this working out, but this is good." He started pulling his shirt off over his head and as he turned towards the bed he offered, still trying to regain his breath. "Who knows, you might actually enjoy this so much, you'll forget about that damn neko."

This was the last thing Tsumori said before his world went black.

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><p>In the bathroom Hiroki was still sitting exactly as Nowaki had left him, except that he was now anxiously rocking back and forth, his tail whipping around in agitation. He was straining his sensitive ears to try and pick up any sounds coming from the next room, but outside of a few loud thuds, things had been unnervingly quiet.<p>

There was no clock in the room and Hiroki didn't have a watch, so there was no way for the fretful neko to know how much time had passed. It seemed like forever, but still the worried catman knew that in reality, probably only minutes had gone by.

Then suddenly, the door opened and Nowaki was there. Nowaki's eyes were tense until he saw his cinnamon neko looking up at him. The concern in Hiroki's large russet eyes warmed Nowaki and he broke into an amazing smile.

Nowaki turned off the shower and stepped over to the sink. Here he immediately filled his mouth with water from the tap before he turned it off, swished it around and spit it out. He grabbed Tsumori's mouthwash off the counter, opened it and repeated this act. Then Nowaki turned and saw Hiroki watching him. The hybrid looked so disconcerted he almost laughed.

"Are you okay, Nowaki?" Hiroki asked. He hesitated, "what happened?"

Nowaki went over and knelt down. He took Hiroki's tear-stained face between his large hands and kissed his beloved neko deeply. This was the last act he needed to purify his mouth from the tainted taste of Tsumori. Pulling away from the breathless catman, Nowaki smiled again. "Nothing happened, Hiro-san." His voice was light, but his face was serious as he added, "even a man of honor has his limits."

"Come here, I want to show you something." With this, Nowaki scooped up his stunned neko. Hiroki wanted to complain that he was perfectly capable of moving on his own, but it felt so good to be safe in Nowaki's arms he resisted this urge and instead, just allowed himself to rest against the man's broad chest. He was so happy his new owner seemed completely unscathed. With his good ear pressed against Nowaki, Hiroki could hear the comforting rhythm of the man's heart. In contrast to his own, it was slow and steady, not the least bit distressed.

Nowaki carried Hiroki out into the hall. The silence of the apartment seemed unnatural after all the chaos of earlier. Stepping into the bedroom, Nowaki turned so that Hiroki could clearly see the bed. "I want you to take a good look, Hiro-san. So you know that this man is never going to hurt you again."

Hiroki lifted his head from Nowaki chest. His eyes grew huge as he took in the scene before him. Tsumori lay half naked, sprawled across the surface of the bed. His face was bloody and his torso sported a number of rapidly blooming bruises.

"Is he dead?" Hiroki asked, suddenly afraid for Nowaki, for what the man might have done.

"No, he's not dead," Nowaki said, "but he will wish he was when he wakes up."

As if to verify his statement, Tsumori let out a small unconscious moan.

"Do you have anything you need to take before we leave, Hiro-san?" Now that he was sure that his neko had seen that his tormentor had been reduced, Nowaki was anxious to get his sweet hybrid out of this terrible apartment.

Hiroki cocked his head to the side as he considered this. Nowaki found the gesture to be very cute, but refrained from comment, giving Hiroki a moment to think. Hiroki had lost everything he had taken with him from Akihiko's in the raid on the park, his book bag had been abandoned at school, and Tsumori had really provided him with barely anything. Hiroki tipped his head back in towards Nowaki's comforting warmth and nuzzled again against the man's chest. Nowaki's heart almost burst with happiness when Hiroki encircled his neck with lean arms and squeezed him saying, "No, Nowaki-san, I have everything I need right here."

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><p>Nowaki was still carrying Hiroki as he stepped out of the elevator and into the parking garage of the apartment complex. He tensed however, when he saw the two knackers exiting the back of their van. The small man was zipping up his pants; the large one clamored out, wiping his mouth. The weasel's arousal had not entirely abated after they'd left Tsumori's and neither man was the type to waste a perfectly good hard on.<p>

They looked a bit embarrassed and shifted uncomfortably under Nowaki's wrathful eyes. Hiroki had immediately tightened his hold around Nowaki's neck when he saw them and his tail curled up protectively. He had whispered to Nowaki on the way down from Tsumori's apartment about the men and his terror at seeing them, knowing what they were.

"No hard feelings," the big knacker called out.

The small knacker's usually evil grin had returned and he added, "Sure you won't consider selling him yourself? We'd promised to deliver a neko to someone tonight." His grin faded instantly at the expression that was returned by Nowaki in answer.

Nowaki hitched Hiroki up in his arms and kept walking, then a sudden thought struck him. He turned back towards the two men. "If your client isn't too picky, you might try Tsumori. He's not in any condition to give you trouble and I didn't lock the door to the apartment when I left."

The two men looked at each other a moment and then shrugged. "If he doesn't notice right away, I'm sure the Doc won't care eventually," the larger of the two said. The weasel opened the back door of the van and grabbed a bag which he tossed to the big knacker. "Here, you take the ears and tails. I'll get the super glue."

Hiroki shivered involuntarily in Nowaki's arms. Nowaki was happy to know the neko had heard them. "Come on, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, as he turned back to the fading light, streaming through the parking garage's exit. He bent his head, grazing his cheek across a wonderfully soft ear. "Let's go home."

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><p><strong>Ha! How do you like them apples...<strong>

**Hey, thank you so much to everyone who wrote in yesterday. Your support of this story was overwhelming! I can't tell you how much that meant to me.**

**Please keep those reviews coming.**

**Oh, and Gid, glad you hung in there…**


	14. Bath: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Fourteen: Bath**

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><p>Neither Nowaki nor Hiroki said much as the tall man carried the tattered neko all the way back to his apartment. Both completely ignored all the strange looks they drew from others as they traveled to Nowaki's home. Nowaki was just so happy that Hiroki was finally his. He hugged the catman protectively to his broad chest, determined that no one was ever going to take Hiro-san from him, ever.<p>

Hiroki couldn't believe everything that Nowaki had gone through to save him. After all the experiences and rejection he'd suffered in his life, he still had a hard time believing that someone could possibly even want, let alone, love him. When Nowaki squeezed him tighter, it almost cut off his breath, but he didn't complain because despite the discomfort, Hiroki felt reassured that he was no longer at Tsumori's and that hopefully he would never find himself in a situation like that again.

Once they reached the apartment, Nowaki immediately took Hiroki into the bathroom and began to draw a bath. While this was running, he finally released Hiroki. The neko stood shakily before him. Nowaki reached over and carefully removed the stiff heavy collar from around Hiroki's neck.

"Oh, Hiro-san," Nowaki said sadly as he traced the angry lines made by the leather around the neko's badly bruised throat with a gentle finger. Hiroki shivered at the touch. "We need to get you cleaned up and I need to check you over and make sure that there are no serious injuries here. Okay, Hiro-san?" Nowaki's voice was very kind. "Do you mind taking a bath?" Not having much experience with nekos, he wasn't sure about how the cat part of Hiroki might feel about the water.

Hiroki knew that he was going to have to reveal himself to Nowaki at some point. After all the man was his new owner. But he was terribly embarrassed about how he looked. He covered this up by acting offended by Nowaki's question. "Don't be a goof. Of course I don't mind taking a bath; I am part human after all and anyway," he sniffed, "nekos are very particular about keeping clean."

Hiroki was shocked at himself for answering this way, but it just kind of slipped out. He expected Nowaki to be angry with him, but the man just grinned and gently ruffed his cinnamon head.

"Of course, Hiro-san, I should have realized," Nowaki said smiling. The medical student was happy to see the neko's fragile pride peek out again.

Hiroki's spirit faded quickly when the bath was ready, however, and he found that Nowaki expected him to disrobe in front of him.

"I need to see your body, Hiro-san, so that we can fix it. Besides I am studying to be a doctor after all."

"I understand, Nowaki-san." Hiroki looked down, red creeping up into his pale cheeks. He began to remove his clothes with trembling fingers. What if Nowaki was so repulsed by his body that he suddenly decided he didn't want him anymore? He had spent his entire time with Tsumori being told how ugly he was, and then obviously Akihiko had not found him attractive either.

Nowaki put his hand up to his mouth as Hiroki began to disrobe. He felt tears spring into his eyes at the sight of the neko's battered body. He knew that Hiroki had suffered, but until now, he'd had no idea how much.

The poor neko was incredibly skinny. He could see every rib on Hiroki's lithe frame. Nowaki wondered how the professor had even found the strength to stand and he could not imagine the determination it must have taken the hybrid to continue to teach. Hiroki's shoulders were covered with even more welts than Nowaki had seen the previous evening. His body was heavily patterned with bite marks and deep purple bruises from the base of his abraded neck all the way down to his bottom and even extending onto his thighs.

When Hiroki turned to face Nowaki, the medical student could not help but gasp when he saw how Tsumori had pierced the fragile hybrid's body. The brutal marks of Tsumori's sadistic rage were equally visited in the neko's front as well. It seemed as though his senpai had not spared a single inch of the poor professor.

Hiroki knew that he shouldn't hide himself from his new owner, but he could not help but try and cover himself. When he heard Nowaki's sharp exhalation, he felt even more humiliated. He knew he must look disgusting to someone as handsome as Nowaki was. His ears flattened in dismay and even his tail curled up as though its skinny length could obstruct the man's view of his body.

"Did Tsumori do that to you, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked in a sober voice, indicating the neko's piercings.

Hiroki choked on his next words, but he knew that he needed to be honest with Nowaki. "No, Nowaki-san, he traded me temporarily to another man who did it for him."

"Hiro-san, did Tsumori do that often? 'Trade' you I mean?" Nowaki's voice had become almost a whisper.

Hiroki could not look at him. Tears filled his eyes and fell silently to the floor as he nodded. Hiroki knew that he must truly be repulsive to Nowaki now. The neko could not imagine that Nowaki would still want him. He waited for the man to explode in fury over how much money he had just lost to purchase such a truly worthless hybrid.

But no outburst came, only silence.

Nowaki was trying to control his breathing. He was so filled with rage at what had been done to his Hiro-san. Any guilt he had been feeling about handing Tsumori over to the knackers was now completely gone. He motioned to Hiroki "Can you take those out yourself, or do you need help?" He tried to keep his voice as gentle as possible.

"I can do it," the embarrassed neko answered. Hiroki turned away and when he turned back he was surprised to see Nowaki holding out a small waste basket.

"Put them in here," Nowaki softly directed.

Hiroki's eyes widened. "You mean, I don't have to put them back in after the bath?"

The hope in the cinnamon neko's voice broke Nowaki's tender heart. "Never again."

Hiroki gladly threw the hated ornaments away. He was startled though, when Nowaki reached for his outstretched hand.

"Nowaki-san…" Hiroki's voice was hesitant, his ears twitched shyly forward. "How can you still touch me after everything you've seen and especially after what I just told you?"

Nowaki set the waste basket down and gathered the shivering, naked neko carefully in his arms. "Hiro-san, I cannot believe how brave you are. You are an amazing creature, to have endured what you did, and what's more to have kept going despite this. I have nothing but respect for you."

At the warmth of Nowaki's voice and the sincerity of his words, Hiroki could not help it. He began to weep, but for an entirely different reason than any other tears he had ever shed in in his life.

"What happened to you is not your fault," Nowaki said, his voice becoming firm. "No matter what you did, or what Tsumori told you that you deserved, no behavior merits the treatment you suffered. Besides, Hiro-san, I told you that I loved you. I am not the kind of man who makes such a declaration and then easily takes it back." Nowaki's voice took on a new measure of sorrow, "I'm sure, given what you have been through, it will take you some time to trust this. But I don't mind waiting, because I do love you, Hiro-san."

Hiroki said nothing, but after a moment he nodded silently through his tears.

Nowaki smiled. For him, right now, this acknowledgment from Hiro-san was enough.

He picked the neko up easily and set Hiroki tenderly into the tub. Nowaki began to lather the catman's battered skin ever so gently with a wonderfully scented soap with one hand, while he continued to hold one of Hiroki's paws in the other for reassurance. His or Hiro-san's he could no longer tell.

Hiroki winced slightly against the sting and his soreness, but he did not want Nowaki to stop. The feeling of the man's large, warm hand was so wonderful.

Hiroki looked up tentatively at Nowaki and the man began to laugh softly when his Hiro-san suddenly started to purr.

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><p><strong>Thanks everyone who wrote in yesterday. I am so pleased that you liked my resolution...<strong>

**Thank you for reading and reviewing!**


	15. Cold: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Fifteen: Cold**

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><p>After the bath, Nowaki tended to all of his new pet's various injuries. He salved and wrapped as much as he could, but he knew he really needed to get Hiroki to a vet as soon as possible. If nothing else, after all the sexual abuse by so many different people, Nowaki knew he needed to get Hiro-san tested to make sure the poor catman hadn't caught something terrible.<p>

Once Nowaki was done treating the hybrid, Hiroki waited while Nowaki took a bath of his own. Neither one of the pair seemed to want to be separated for even a moment, so Hiroki sat down on the floor next to the tub.

He tried hard not to look at Nowaki while he was naked, but he couldn't help but be just a little bit naughty and peek from time to time. Nowaki was so handsome, His black hair shining when it was wet, his shoulders and chest broad. The catman had glanced over also when Nowaki had first gotten undressed and climbed into the tub. This glimpse of his new owner had set the neko blushing fiercely. Hiroki saw Nowaki was physically congruent: all of the man was over-sized…and Nowaki, even at rest, was way bigger than Tsumori had been.

Hiroki wasn't quite sure how Nowaki might decide to use him now that he owned him. There was a part of Hiroki that hoped Nowaki would eventually love him physically as well as with his heart, though it seemed quite a lot to hope for given his past. At the same time, Hiroki had been damaged by Tsumori and the other men that his previous master had sold him to. So, he also hoped that if Nowaki did decide to take him, the man might give him a little bit of time to heal before he tried to…

Thinking about this made Hiroki feel uneasy, he still wasn't sure if Nowaki would even want to touch him at all, in this way, after what he had told him about being passed around to other men. But stealing a look over at his new owner splashing contentedly in the tub, Hiroki knew he wanted to touch Nowaki.

"Ummmm, Nowaki-san?" Hiroki started carefully.

"Yes, Hiro-san?" Nowaki looked over at Hiroki and smiled. He had seen the neko's furtive glances and thought the catman's shyness was just so cute. He watched Hiroki nervously scoot closer to the edge of the tub, the neko's huge russet eyes looked up at him uncertainly.

"Would you like me to wash your back for you?" Hiroki's receding redness jumped back into his cheeks.

"That's okay, you don't have to do that, Hiro-san." Nowaki was surprised to see a flash of disappointment in the hybrid's eyes. He had said this because he didn't want Hiro-san to think he had to wait on him like he had been forced to do with his previous owner. "But if you'd like to, Hiro-san, I think that would be nice." Nowaki offered Hiroki his wash cloth and a bar of soap.

Hiroki perched himself on the edge of the tub. He lathered Nowaki's back and chest. The tall man's muscles felt wonderful under his slippery hand. Hiroki saw beneath the bubbles that he was not the only one enjoying this. Hiroki decided to be incredibly bold. He moved down the length of the tub and took up the length of Nowaki in his hand.

Nowaki had been resting with his eyes closed enjoying Hiroki's attentions. He'd not been touched much in his life and it felt so wonderful. His eyes opened suddenly though, when he felt Hiroki's hand take up its new position and start slowly moving.

"Hiro-san… uhhh… what…oooh… are…ahhh ... you doing? Nowaki couldn't help but gasp. No one (well, except himself, he was human after all) had ever touched him like this.

Hiroki was so embarrassed, but he didn't stop. "Don't say anything, Nowaki," his voice was just a little bit growly. "Let me take care of you for just a bit."

Nowaki didn't want Hiro-san to think he had to do this, but it felt so amazing. When he looked into his neko's eyes and saw the catman's desire, he relaxed and leaned back.

Hiroki's hands quickened and before long he brought his new owner to a shuddering climax.

"Thank you, Hiro-san," Nowaki breathed. He took one of the neko's wet paws and gently kissed it.

Hiroki was hugely self-conscious but also secretly pleased he'd been able to do something to make his rescuer feel good.

After Nowaki got cleaned up again, with both their "treatments" complete the two got ready for bed.

For tonight, Nowaki was wearing his pajama bottoms and Hiro-san was wearing his top. He would get the neko some new things tomorrow. But right now Nowaki thought he had never seen anything more adorable. Even rolled up, the sleeves were too long and the night shirt hung down past the neko's knees.

Hiroki's clean, cinnamon brown ears were perked up in concentration as he finished buttoning the garment. His tail hung down below the edge of his clothes, the end of it flicked contentedly.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki joked, "You really are the cat's pajamas tonight." He started laughing loudly when he saw the scowl this brought to his neko's face.

Seeing Nowaki crack up like that over his own silly joke, Hiroki found himself breaking into a small smile. "You're a goof, Nowaki," he said seriously. For some reason, this comment only made the man laugh harder.

Once he'd regained his composure, Nowaki took Hiroki into the bedroom. Hiroki walked now, but he kept very close to Nowaki's side. "I am afraid my apartment only has one bedroom Hiro-san…"

"That's okay, Nowaki-san," Hiroki interrupted before Nowaki could finish. "If you just tell me which corner is mine, I don't mind the floor, I'm just happy to be sleeping in the same room with you."

Nowaki looked at his poor neko sadly, "No, Hiro-san, I was going to say, my apartment only has one bedroom, so I thought you could sleep in here tonight and I would sleep out on the couch, for now."

"Nowaki-san, I can't take your bed."

"Get in," Nowaki directed, his voice was firm. He held up the sheets.

Blushing, but obedient, Hiroki crawled under the covers.

Nowaki tucked the catman in.

"Nowaki?"

"Yes, Hiro-san?"

Hiroki wouldn't look at Nowaki. He curled himself up a bit tighter. He was holding the tip of his tail between his paws. This was something he'd done whenever he'd felt nervous as a kitten. "Would…" Hiroki had never known a day when he had blushed so much. "Would you hold my hand until I fall asleep?" he stammered.

Nowaki was touched by the hybrid's request. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took one of Hiroki's hands.

Hiroki closed his eyes and sighed. Nowaki sat with him until he felt sure that Hiroki was asleep, but as soon as he started to release Hiro-san's hand, the neko's eyes opened.

"Nowaki, I'm cold," Hiroki whispered.

"Okay, Hiro-san, I'll get you another blanket," Nowaki said amiably. But when he went to get up, he found his hand clasped tight by the neko.

"No, Nowaki. I'm cold." Hiroki repeated his tone only slightly different.

"Oh," Nowaki suddenly understood. "Are you sure, Hiro-san?"

The neko nodded and lifted up the covers. Nowaki clamored in and wrapped himself around the hybrid. "Is that better, Hiro-san?"

Soft ears tickled the underside of Nowaki's chin as Hiroki snuggled in deeper. "Yes, Nowaki," the neko sighed. His tail slipped down and wrapped around one of Nowaki's legs.

Within minutes they were both softly snoring.

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><p><strong> Thank you for reading and reviewing!<strong>


	16. Wake: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Sixteen: Wake**

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><p>It was the next morning, Saturday, thankfully. Nowaki had been able to slip away earlier without waking Hiroki and make breakfast. Then he had crawled back into the bed and now he was trying to wake Hiroki up. Actually, he had been for the last half hour, though not really very hard.<p>

He had decided he loved watching Hiroki sleep. Hiro-san's face as he slumbered seemed so peaceful, his forehead was not wrinkled with anxiety and he looked so innocent that no one would know all the terrible things that had happened to him. Nowaki stared at his neko's long eyelashes and bed-rumpled dark cinnamon-brown hair.

Nowaki's big sleep shirt had slid down off of one of Hiroki's shoulder's, leaving it beautifully bare. The man could see just a hint, where the buttons started at the neck, of the little "V" shaped patch of soft fur that the neko sported in the middle of his chest between his firm pectorals. It was so cute.

Nowaki brushed a gentle finger down Hiroki's pale, bruised cheek. The neko sighed and snuggled deeper into his pillow. Nowaki took this same finger and drew a line from Hiroki's forehead down to his nose. The hybrid's nose wrinkled and he nipped at the finger in his sleep. Nowaki thought the unconscious gesture was adorable.

Then he traced the outer edge of one of Hiroki's sensitive ears and watched them both twitch in response. Under the covers Nowaki could see the catman's tail flick. He smiled and did this again. Hiroki brought one of his hands up and drowsily batted at the offending finger. Sleepy russet eyes pulled themselves reluctantly open.

"Good morning, Hiro-san." Nowaki smiled at the dream befuddled neko.

Hiroki's eyes widened and he pulled back a bit, "Nowaki, what are you doing? Were you watching me sleep?" His voice was groggily growlly.

Nowaki nodded and then added happily, "It's just that you look so cute when you're sleeping." The disconcerted scowl that moved on to the neko's ever-waking face was equally charming, though Nowaki didn't think Hiro-san would appreciate being told so.

"Gahhhh," Hiroki pulled the covers up over his head. "How embarrassing!"

Nowaki reached over and pulled down the sheets until one large dark eye was revealed. It regarded him somewhat suspiciously. Nowaki could see underneath it on Hiroki's cheek, the neko's first blush of the day. "I'm sorry, Hiro-san, but you were a little hard to get up. I tried to wake you like twenty times."

Nowaki stretched. Hiroki's exposed eye widened in appreciation of the man's naked torso. Nowaki turned and caught the look. His face brightened.

Realizing he'd been caught, Hiroki quickly pulled the covers back over his head to hide this new embarrassment.

Nowaki leaned over and gave a soft pat to the blanket over Hiroki's hip before he got up. "Breakfast is ready whenever you are, Hiro-san." He ambled out into the other room.

Hiroki lingered under the covers for a few minutes. He was awfully stiff today, but that was to be expected. Still, it had been months since he'd slept so well. It had been the first time in a long while that he had been able to really rest without worrying about being attacked or molested. Hiroki thought about how lovingly Nowaki had woken him up as opposed to the previous day (had it really just been the day before?) when Tsumori had thrown the water on him.

Hiroki got up slowly and then went through a series of cat-stretches, limbering his aching body. Feeling a bit better, though still sore, he got up and went to find Nowaki.

Nowaki was sitting cross-legged at the low dining table. A beautiful breakfast was laid out there. Hiroki wasn't sure what to do. When he was living with Akihiko they rarely ate together; each was so involved in his own work. At Tsumori's he was forbidden to sit at the table.

Nowaki saw Hiroki's hesitation. "Hiro-san, please come and sit down."

At his urging, Hiroki did. Sitting this close to all the wonderful food, his stomach growled loudly. He'd hardly eaten anything the previous day.

"You sound more like a dog than a cat at the moment," Nowaki teased, a big grin on his face."Please, help yourself."

"Goof," Hiroki muttered under his breath; Nowaki and his cheesy humor.

Nowaki heard the neko and his grin got bigger. He wanted Hiro-san to feel comfortable enough to be feisty. After a quick _itadakimasu_ the two started eating.

"Nowaki–san, you're a very good cook, but I should have been the one making breakfast for you," Hiroki said sounding guilty. It didn't seem like he was off to a very good start as the man's new pet, having to be woken up and not fixing their meal.

"I don't mind, Hiro-san. I like to cook."

After they spent a few moments eating in silence, Hiroki asked tentatively, "How old are you, Nowaki-san?"

"Twenty-two."

Nowaki saw the distressed look forming on the hybrid's face. "What's wrong, Hiro-san?"

"I'm twenty-six. Will it bother you to have a neko that is so much older, Nowaki-san?"

"No. Will it bother you to have an… owner (Nowaki didn't like using that word) that is younger than you?"

"No," Hiroki said, though Nowaki could tell that it kind of did. He thought he had better do something to boost the cat man's pride.

"Perhaps, Hiro-san, since you are older, you should just call me Nowaki."

Hiroki stared at him. "I don't know…" he stammered, "that doesn't quite seem right for a pet." (Hiroki didn't like using that word.)

"Please, Hiro-san, I would like it very much for you to call me that."

"Okay then, Nowaki," Hiroki said looking away. Didn't he know how inappropriate this was, given their situation? "Idiot." Hiroki sighed under his breath shaking his head. His cheeks were pink and he was once again discomfited by Nowaki's kindness to him.

Nowaki had heard the hybrid and responded with a good-natured laugh. His neko was just too cute. "Yes, Hiro-san, sometimes you can call me that too."

Hiroki was surprised by this and grew even redder.

* * *

><p>After breakfast, Hiroki had tried to help with the dishes, but once again, Nowaki wouldn't let him.<p>

"I have it, Hiro-san," Nowaki said as he cheerfully filled the sink.

"But, Nowaki, what am I supposed to do? How else am I going to be a good pet?" Hiroki was beginning to feel a bit desperate. He was sure that if he didn't make himself useful, Nowaki would soon grow tired of him and might decide to get rid of him.

"Hiro-san, I would rather have you be yourself, than a good pet. Why don't you just rest today? You really need some time to heal up from all that you've been through."

The truth was that Hiroki had always been so busy with his studies and teaching, also dealing first with Akihiko and then later with Tsumori, he felt rather lost at the moment.

He went over to the couch and sat down next to it. His tail switched with irritation.

Nowaki watched the neko from the kitchen. When he was done with the dishes, he came back out. "Hiro-san, you can sit on the couch if you want."

"Tsumori didn't like me to get on the furniture. He said I shed too much."

Nowaki looked at Hiroki questioningly.

"I do shed sometimes," Hiroki confided, his ears flattened slightly and his cheeks grew pink. "But mostly only when I get very nervous."

Hiroki looked at Nowaki a moment and then climbed up. He tucked himself up rather tightly as he had when he was in the bathroom at Tsumori's house.

Nowaki sat down on the other end of the couch. He knew that Hiroki had a lot of healing to do inside and out and he was worried about the poor neko. Still, he had read somewhere that cats, when they didn't feel well, liked to be left alone or would sometimes go off on their own, so even though he really wanted to gather the cinnamon hybrid into his arms and soothe him, he resisted.

"I'm going to go out for a bit, Hiro-san (though Nowaki really hated the idea of leaving). I want to get a few things for you and I have to go work at the flower shop for a few hours too… I would take you with me for the shopping, but I don't have a collar for you yet and I'm not willing to put that other horrible one back on you." Nowaki watched Hiroki shudder at the thought of this.

"That's fine, Nowaki, I'm used to being on my own. I really don't like shopping much anyway, unless it's for books."

"Okay, then, Hiro-san," Nowaki stood up, leaned over and ruffled the neko's silky cinnamon head. "Be good and I'll be back as soon as I can."

Hiroki looked away and pretended not to be at all concerned, but as soon as Nowaki turned to walk away his anxious eyes followed the man to the door. When it closed behind Nowaki with a click, on the couch, Hiroki shivered, wrapped his tail up over his knees and curled himself up even tighter.

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><p><strong>AshleyTangerine, your reviews spur me on to keep uploading. Thanks for the pep!<strong>

**There will be some more angst coming up so enjoy the fluff while it lasts... Akihiko will be re-entering the picture soon... **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	17. Parts: Tsumori

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Seventeen: Parts**

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><p>Tsumori was sitting at the knackers' dining table in the two men's apartment. It turned out the hybrid dealers were actually a couple. He shuddered at the thought, trying to dislodge the mental pictures this realization brought with it.<p>

He reached up once more to rub his aching head and was angered to encounter the stupid cat ear that was still glued to him. The glue that the knackers had applied was apparently some super adhesive that fused to the skin. The only way to remove the ears (and the tail) without tearing off big chunks of his flesh was to let the adhesive wear off. Tsumori was likely to look like a hybrid for at least a few weeks.

"Here," the big knacker handed him a cup of coffee.

"Thanks." Tsumori winced and couldn't help but groaning as he reached for it. That Kusama had royally fucked him over yesterday, just not in the way he had hoped. Tsumori could not ever recall feeling so awful.

The small knacker leered at Tsumori from the other end of the table, after receiving his own cup of coffee. "Now let's go over this plan of yours again, and remember, Pussy, if this doesn't go off like you say, you're going straight into that van and right to the Doc's."

Tsumori nodded miserably, despite the fact his neck was so stiff.

All too clearly Tsumori remembered the terror of waking up in the back of the knackers' van, naked and bloody. Then, as he was feeling himself (as much as the restraints he was tied with allowed anyway), trying to discover the extent of his damage, he had encountered the added appendages.

"What the fuck!" Tsumori had shouted hoarsely.

The small knacker, who he later learned was called "Ren," turned around and looked at him through the grating that separated the holding part of the van from the front. "Hey, Jun," he said to the big knacker, who was driving, "looks like the kitty woke up."

"I'm not a fucking neko!"

"You are now," the big knacker laughed, then he added seriously, "I told you it was an unwise move to back out of our deal. We promised someone a neko tonight, and we always keep our word."

Realizing what this meant, Tsumori began to beg for his life. The knackers just laughed. "You don't think we hear this same shit every day?" Ren asked. He turned back around ignoring the fake catman's desperate pleas.

"But I can pay you… Ten times what you were going to pay for that shitty neko. I have the money Kusama gave me. It's back at the apartment…"

Without turning around again, the small knacker pulled something out of his jacket pocket and waved it where Tsumori could see it. "You mean this?" It was the envelope with all of Nowaki's savings in it.

Tsumori's heart sank.

"Yeah, thanks for the bonus," the big man added.

"Don't worry too much, Tsumori," Ren said, he turned back around now, looking at the bloodied blonde. "This guy we're taking you to is a real regular. He goes through nekos every few weeks, so at least you can rest assured that you won't be suffering indefinitely."

Tsumori's panic increased dramatically._ 'Like that is supposed to offer me some fucking consolation?'_ He racked his brain trying to come up with something.

"Look, guys, I know someone else who would pay a ton of money for that neko I sold Kusama. Some author guy, who found out I had Hiro.

"He already gave me a big chunk of change for that bitch cat earlier, but then I told him the cat didn't want to see him and threatened to run away from me if I gave him back. Really, I was just fucking with him at the time… I wanted to see if I could get more money from him. The asshole was so rich he didn't even care about the money. He just let me keep it and said I could use it to give that crap cat a good life."

This got the knackers' attention.

"So, why didn't you go back and sell that cat to him then, if he was worth so much money?"

"Because, it pissed me off that someone would pay that much for a fucking animal! ... I mean, I'm a human doctor and still wouldn't make in a year what that guy was offering for some stupid hybrid… And then when I saw that Kusama liked him, how that little neko whore wrapped him around his paw, I just wanted to hurt them both."

"You're a sick fuck, Tsumori. You know that?" Ren's weasely face was lit up with something bordering on admiration.

"He sounds like he's being honest." Jun looked at his partner. He shrugged. "Let's listen to the guy's plan. We can always go to the park and see if we can snag a feral for the Doc."

"You've got one chance, Blondie," the weasel hissed. "You better not fuck this up."

So now Tsumori was sitting at the knackers' table, planning Hiroki's abduction with Ren and Jun.

"I know where Kusama lives," Tsumori offered.

"Nah," Ren jumped in, "I don't want to take a chance of running into that fucking giant again. Something about that dude freaks me out. He's pretty attached to that cat and who knows how violent he'd get. I mean look at you, Puss."

Tsumori scowled, but he didn't say anything. He was still on thin ice here, so he knew he had to watch his temper.

"So, I say we wait a few days and let things settle a bit and then take him," Jun said. "You mentioned he was a teacher or something, right?"

Tsumori took a sip of his coffee and hissed when it stung his swollen split lip. "Yeah, I can even give you his schedule."

"So, let's watch them for a few days and then nab him when the times right. You still know how to get a hold of that rich author guy?"

"Uh huh."

"What about Kusama?" Ren asked, the tall youth had really gotten to him for some reason.

"You just leave him to me," Tsumori said. He gave both the knackers a wide wicked smile and didn't even seem to care that this made his lip start to bleed again.

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><p><strong>Kirakrz, your intuition is just too good. Well, all, the rollercoaster is starting to climb the next hill... hope you enjoy the ride. As always, please review.<strong>


	18. Collar: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Eighteen: Collar**

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><p>After Nowaki left, Hiroki sat for some time on the couch, hugging his knees tightly to his chest. Eventually though, he began to feel a less frightened and instead, began to feel restless.<p>

Yesterday had been so traumatic that he hadn't noticed anything but Nowaki really and earlier today he had been too nervous to take much in. Hiroki eventually uncurled himself and slipped cautiously off the sofa. He started to move around the apartment, studying his surroundings, exploring. The cinnamon catman began to look about a bit, hoping that he might find something that would tell him more about his dark savior: this strange, tall man who had gone through such great lengths to rescue him and had already, so easily it seemed, confessed his love.

The apartment, on the whole, was small but very clean. Nowaki, it seemed, did not have a lot of stuff. It was certainly different here than Akihiko's palatial and object-filled condo, or Tsumori's sordid lair.

In the bedroom on the dresser there was a single picture. It looked like a young Nowaki, tall even then, with those piercing blue eyes and that wonderfully warm smile. Hiroki's tail gave an appreciative twitch. The youth was posing with a pleasant enough looking couple. They were standing in front of a rather institutional building. Though the first part of the name was obscured, Hiroki could make out the second half. It said _orphanage_.

_Was Nowaki an orphan?_

Hiroki wondered. He picked up the picture to get a closer look. When he did, he felt something taped to the back of the frame. Turning it around, he saw a small clipping announcing that the managers of the orphanage had decided to adopt their oldest charge. It was Nowaki. This made everything that Nowaki was doing with his life, becoming a doctor, working so many jobs, all that much more admirable.

Studying the picture again, for some reason, the thought of Nowaki waiting at the orphanage all those years for a family made Hiroki angry. _What was wrong with people that they couldn't see how wonderful Nowaki was? _Anyone would have been lucky to have taken him into their home. At the same time, though he knew it was very wicked of him, this fact also comforted Hiroki. It helped him to know that Nowaki, like him, knew what it was like to yearn for love, only to ultimately experience being unwanted.

Hiroki set the picture carefully back into its place. Though he felt guilty, he couldn't keep from further looking around. It didn't appear that Nowaki had many personal things either. Given what Hiroki had learned about Nowaki's early life, this made sense now.

As he continued his feline snooping there was one other thing that Hiroki ascertained quite quickly during his reconnaissance, and that was that his new owner definitely needed more books. Outside of a few shojou manga he found when peeking under the futon (which rather amused him) the only other reading material Hiroki found were medical texts and journals. In fact, the young medical student only had one bookcase and it wasn't even entirely full.

Hiroki was contemplating strategies for increasing his rescuer's literacy when he heard a soft knock on the front door of the apartment.

The neko had never considered himself skittish before, but the sound coupled with the fact that Nowaki was not there, suddenly sent Hiroki into a panic. Before he knew what he was doing Hiroki opened the door to Nowaki's closet and slipped inside, he curled himself up into a tight ball again and closed it behind him, hiding. His hybrid heart raced and he wished that Nowaki would come home again soon.

* * *

><p>Nowaki was worried. He'd had to stay longer at work than he'd planned and his errands took more time than he expected. When he arrived at home, he saw a plate of sweets sitting outside his front door. It was from a neighbor, a young woman, who had been flirting, (one-sidedly) with him for weeks.<p>

The tall man sighed as he picked it up and carried it inside with him, once he'd unlocked the door.

"Hiro-san!" Nowaki called as he entered the apartment. He half expected the neko to still be sitting where he'd left him.

"Hiro-san?" Not seeing Hiroki immediately, Nowaki grew nervous. He looked out on the balcony, in the empty bathroom, as he moved into the bedroom, his heart was pounding. _Where is Hiro-san? Would he run away?_

Nowaki sat down on the bed and put his face in his hands. "Oh, Hiro-san," he said sadly. Then he heard a small noise in the closet. He stood and opened the door, his heart suddenly filled with hope.

"Nowaki?"

Hiroki looked up at the man from where he was seated on the floor. He'd fallen asleep while he was sitting in the closet. He blinked his sleepy eyes and yawned. He was jolted into a much more wakeful state almost immediately, however, as Nowaki reached in and picked him up, giving him a squeeze so tight it took his breath away.

"Gahhhh, Nowaki, what are you doing?" Hiroki barked (despite his inherent catness) as he tried to struggle out of Nowaki's tight grip. It was no use, Nowaki's embrace was inescapable. Hiroki finally relaxed into the man and when he did, realized he was actually really relieved that Nowaki at last come home.

"I'm sorry I was so long, Hiro-san. I was so worried when I came home and couldn't find you. What were you doing in the closet?"

Hiroki's pride would not allow him to say that he'd been hiding, so instead he scowled and said, "I was taking a nap. It's too bright in this apartment. I needed someplace dark to rest my eyes."

Nowaki wasn't really convinced of the neko's answer, but he didn't dare say anything. Besides, Hiro-san had looked so cute when he'd found him. So instead he took Hiroki's hand in his and pulled the hybrid into the other room.

"Look, I got some things for you."

Hiroki's eyes widened as he looked at the bags of clothes sitting on the dining room table that Nowaki had brought home.

"Nowaki, you shouldn't be spending your money on me. Not after all that you gave to Tsumori. I have some money from my teaching. Please, let me pay you back."

"No, Hiro-san," Nowaki said firmly. "I want to take care of you, so let me do this. Okay?"

"But these things are awfully nice, Nowaki. Surely you could have gotten something cheaper?" Hiroki carefully fingered the fine fabric of one of the shirts Nowaki had bought for him.

"Nonsense, Hiro-san." Nowaki was pleased that Hiroki seemed impressed. "If you are going to be standing in front of a classroom you need to look your best. It will help you maintain your students' respect… And speaking of students…" Nowaki lifted Hiroki's teaching satchel up from where it had been hidden out of sight, resting on a chair.

"My bag!" Hiroki cried. Ever diligent, he had been wondering if he would ever get it back and how he was going explain to his students about losing their homework.

"Yes, I'm sorry, that's one of the reason's I was late. I had to go to the University to find it. I knew that you would not want to fall behind on your grading. I was very lucky to find an inu hybrid doing maintenance who helped me. Someone had given it over to the lost and found for safe keeping. He let me in so I could get it."

Hiroki didn't know what to say. He couldn't believe the consideration of this man. He hung his head and mumbled an awkward "thank you."

"Oh, Hiro-san, you are so adorable." Nowaki laughed when his comment only made Hiroki scowl again.

"Uh… I also got you this…" Now it was Nowaki who sounded uncomfortable.

"What is it?" Hiroki asked, taking the small bag and pulling out something wrapped in tissue paper.

"Um… I'm so sorry, Hiro-san, but it's your collar. I know that you can't go out without one. But don't worry, you don't have to wear it at home if don't want to."

Hiroki was very touched by Nowaki's discomfort. The collar was no big deal really, he had been used to the concept from the time that he was a kitten. But still, there was something in the way Nowaki talked that made him feel that perhaps Nowaki might hold him in regard as something more than a pet. The sense of this caused the neko's heart to ache in a way he never experienced before.

Nowaki watched nervously as Hiroki unwrapped the collar. The catman's ears twitched forward with curiosity; the end of his tail tapped in anticipation. When Hiroki finally opened it, his ears went back in surprise and his tail suddenly stopped moving. Seeing this, Nowaki instantly worried that he had made the wrong choice and had offended the hybrid.

"Nowaki, it's amazing." Hiroki breathed, turning it over in his hands. The collar was made of very slender leather strands braided together. The leather had been dyed a rich dark brown color a few shades deeper than his own hair. In thickness, it was no more substantial than a heavy necklace. It sported a pendant of a polished pale russet stone. Turning it over with his fingers, Hiroki saw on the back it was inscribed "Kamijou Hiroki" with a hybrid registration number and underneath this it said: "Property of Kusama Nowaki, if found please call" with Nowaki's cell phone number underneath.

Nowaki looked chagrined when Hiroki began reading the pendant. "Hiro-san, I apologize for the wording, but at the pet store, that's what they told me it needed to say in order for you to be legal."

Again, Hiroki was moved by Nowaki's concern. None of his previous owners had ever been bothered by the idea of ownership. Hiroki felt distinctly embarrassed by the way Nowaki's words made him feel. His first thought then, was to say something dismissive or make a flippant joke about it, but when he saw the conflict in his new owner's deep blue eyes, he said instead, "Nowaki, it's okay, I don't mind. Besides, like I said before… I think I might like belonging to you."

Hiroki held the collar out to Nowaki. "Would you put it on me?" After handing it to the man, he turned around and bowed his head. Nowaki breathed a sigh of relief that Hiroki did not have any objections to his gift. He draped the collar around Hiroki's still-bruised neck very carefully and fastened it in the back.

Hiroki's slender fingers traced the outline of it. It was so light, he hardly felt like he was wearing a collar at all. Then he had a sudden realization. "Nowaki?"

"Hmmmm?" Staring at the back of Hiro-san's lovely neck and having the neko standing so close to him was doing something to Nowaki; it made it hard to think.

"There's something wrong with this collar."

"What?"

"Well, there's no place on it to attach a leash."

Nowaki put his hands gently on Hiroki's shoulders and turned the hybrid around to face him. The color of the leather and the stone complemented the neko's own coloring and made Hiroki's large eyes stand out even more. Nowaki looked at the neko seriously and then took the catman's fine jaw in one of his large hands. He leaned down and very sweetly kissed Hiroki.

Nowaki could feel Hiroki's blush, without seeing it. Hiroki started to pull away, but Nowaki's hand held him tight. Nowaki's kiss became more ardent. He teased the neko's lips with his own until Hiroki opened up to him. Then his tongue made a gentle inquiry into Hiroki's mouth where it was warmly greeted.

When Nowaki finally broke the kiss, he went on to brush his lips softly against Hiroki's cheeks, over the neko's still-closed eyes and finally alighting on the momentarily furrow free forehead.

Hiroki slowly opened his eyes. His ears pitched forward as Nowaki moved his wonderful mouth up to one of them and whispered, "Hiro-san, a leash is something I will never need with you, I have already bound you to my heart."

The love in Nowaki's voice made all the hairs on Hiroki's tail stand up on end.

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><p><strong>New AN 1231/ 12: AshleyTangerine, Thank you for the reviews you have put this story at 1500. What a great way to start the new year. You too FrostySquid! And JMAG, I'm so glad you think I've managed to keep the Egoists in character. MidoriTenchi, my sweet, so happy to have you back on this return trip through the story.**

**Kisses to all my readers and Happy New Year's!**

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><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**Sorry I missed yesterday. Took a day off... but I will try and make it up, maybe with a double chapter later this week sometime if I have time. **

**So, we have slipped back into comfort... your reprieve continues, but the drama will commence again soon. As always, please review... it's nice to know you're out there.**


	19. Book: Egoist

**So this is a warning for anyone offended by sexual content... there's some action in this chapter, so if you're not up for that, you might want to skip to the next. For all you citrus lovers, however, here's a little taste of future lemon to come (pun intended).**

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><p><strong>Neko-Hiro<strong>

**Chapter Nineteen: Book**

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><p>Nowaki embraced Hiroki and the neko allowed this for a few moments. He quite liked the feeling of it really, but in a secret part of himself, Hiroki was worried that if he allowed the feelings of love that he'd begun to feel stirring for Nowaki to grow any stronger, he would only get terribly hurt again in the end. So because of this, rather than linger in Nowaki's loving hug, Hiroki began to wiggle about.<p>

Getting the hint and not wanting to frighten the traumatized catman, Nowaki gently released Hiroki.

"I um… I like you very much, Nowaki…" Hiroki said, blushing fiercely. Even this was hard for him to say, but after such a lovely confession, Hiroki felt he must at least say something.

As always, Nowaki was tickled by the catman's cinnamon shyness. "Thank you, Hiro-san. That makes me so happy."

The two went amicably through the rest of the day together. Nowaki sat on the couch to read, getting caught up on some medical texts he needed to look at, while Hiroki sat on the floor at his feet, his work set out the low coffee table where he graded papers. The professorial neko had been very pleased to find that none of his student's work seemed to be missing.

While man and neko said very little, both were surprised at how nice it felt simply to have someone nearby: each had been isolated for so long.

This time Nowaki had not tried to get Hiroki to sit up on the couch with him. There was a good reason for this.

Despite the clothes Nowaki had brought home for Hiroki that day, the neko was still only wearing his pajama top. It was large enough it covered a great deal of the hybrid. Hiroki had gotten used to, during his time at Tsumori's, not wearing anything at all whenever he was in his master's home, so he didn't feel terribly undressed. Besides, though he would never admit it, the shirt smelled of Nowaki and Hiroki found this immensely soothing.

The innocent catman, however, had no idea the effect that this outfit was having on Nowaki. Watching Hiroki continually push up the sleeves of the overlarge shirt, observing the garment gradually slip off of one or the other of the neko's bruised shoulders and be gently shrugged back up, was driving Nowaki crazy.

Nowaki shook his head, trying to distract himself from all the thoughts that the hybrid's body aroused in him. No, it was good that Hiroki wasn't up on the couch, otherwise the new seme would have already jumped him by now, and Nowaki knew it wasn't the right time for that yet.

So instead, he tried to focus on other things about Hiroki. For example, Nowaki noticed that he could tell the quality of the student's work the neko was grading by watching Hiroki's cat ears and tail. When the professor was pleased, his ears perked forward with interest and his tail swished in broad circles. When the student's work was poor, the hybrid's ears flattened back and Hiroki's tail would go stiff, except for the very end which would quiver. It reminded Nowaki of a nature show he'd watched on rattlesnakes, the way the tip of Hiroki's tail vibrated. Nowaki observed that while his neko graded today, his tail rattled a lot and he wondered if this was normal.

Finally after getting most all of his grading done, Hiroki reached into the pocket of his bag and pulled out a slip of paper. He looked at it seriously for a few moments and then, still holding it, climbed up on the couch next to Nowaki. He blushed and looked down as Nowaki looked up from his reading.

"Is everything okay, Hiro-san?" Nowaki's eyes were filled with concern: Hiroki suddenly seemed nervous.

It was hard on Hiroki's pride to have to ask this, but it was very important and so he knew that he must. "Ummmm… Nowaki?"

"Yes, Hiro-san?"

"Would you be willing to sign this form allowing me to teach some advanced courses and be Miyagi-sensei's assistant?" He held the paper out to Nowaki with slightly shaking fingers.

"Of course, Hiro-san. You did say that it was an honor to be asked to do this, did you not?"

Hiroki was surprised and embarrassed that Nowaki remembered that part of his disastrous conversation with Tsumori from the previous night.

"But would you mind…" Nowaki reached over and picked up Hiroki's purple grading pen off the table to sign the form. "Would you mind if I went with you on Monday, to meet this professor you will be working for?"

"Of course, Nowaki." Hiroki was actually relieved at his new owner's question. While he had heard mostly good things about Miyagi-sensei, Hiroki had also heard the professor was a bit _different_. It would be reassuring to have Nowaki there with him. "Then you can file my change of ownership papers with the Dean."

"Is that something we need to do?" Nowaki asked. There was still so much about owning a hybrid that he didn't know.

Hiroki nodded as Nowaki handed the permission slip back to him.

"Okay, then, Hiro-san. I'll call and make sure that my schedule is clear and I want to see if I can get you an appointment with a proper vet that day too."

Hiroki frowned. He had always hated the vet.

Nowaki smiled at the petulant hybrid. "Hiro-san, you are so adorable."

Hiroki batted at Nowaki's hand when he reached over to ruffle his shaggy head.

Both stopped surprised when Hiroki's stomach rumbled, adding its own protest.

Nowaki looked at his watch. "I suppose I really should start fixing dinner. Oh, Hiro-san, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you. I have to work the late shift tonight at the hospital. I would call and cancel, but since Tsumori…" Nowaki hesitated when he saw the neko's reaction to the man's name. "Since he won't be there, they will be short staffed as it is."

"I understand, Nowaki. I wouldn't want to interfere with your work." Hiroki felt the fear return to his belly. It had been frightening enough to get through the day without Nowaki there. He wondered how he would ever make it through the night.

Nowaki saw the dis-concertion in the hybrid's russet eyes. "Stay there a minute, Hiro-san. I forgot something. I have one more thing that I got and wanted to give you." He got up off the couch and went and picked up a bag that had been sitting unopened among the others still out on the table. "Maybe these will help you pass the time while I'm gone."

Nowaki handed the bag over to Hiroki. It was quite heavy.

"Nowaki," Hiroki said uncomfortably, "you've already given me too much today."

"No such thing when it comes to my Hiro-san," Nowaki replied easily, and Hiroki could see that the man meant it. The neko didn't know if he could bear enduring such kindness.

Hiroki opened the bag and was beside himself with joy when he discovered it was filled with books.

"The man at the bookstore said these were all good. I am sorry if you've already read them or if they're not to your liking…" Nowaki trailed off as Hiroki had unconsciously began purring very softly as he looked through the novels. There were no words that the professor might offer that could indicate any more greatly his pleasure with the gift.

Watching the beautiful catman kneeling on the cushions in front of him, the top buttons of his night shirt enticingly unbuttoned, Hiroki's neck and collarbones accentuated by the new collar, the bottom edge of the pajama top riding up over his slim muscular thighs, the lithe cinnamon tail twitching with excitement at the gift of the texts, Nowaki felt something catch in his throat. In the shadows between Hiroki's spread legs as he knelt, just below the hem of the shirt, Nowaki thought he could see the tip of Hiroki's naked…

Nowaki gulped and tried to keep his breath regular, his nostrils and other parts from flaring, at the unconsciously seductive neko.

Hiroki handled each book very tenderly as he pulled them out of the sack and set them down on the couch before him. Then as he picked up one book, the purring suddenly stopped and he dropped it, almost as if the book had bit him.

"Hiro-san, what's wrong?" The neko's response had surprised him. "Do you not like that book?" Nowaki's voice was laced with concern. He reached over and picked it up. It was a novel by an author named Usami Akihiko. "The man at the bookstore said this author's books are quite popular. But if it displeases you I can take it back."

"Oh, it's nothing like that, Nowaki," Hiroki's voice was suddenly sad and kind of shaky. "I like the book very much. Akihiko used to be one of my very favorite authors."

"Akihiko?" Nowaki was perplexed by the casual way with which the neko said the man's name.

"Uhh… we were friends at one time. I'd known him since I was a little more than a kitten."

Nowaki flipped the book over and saw the author's picture on the back. Looking at Akihiko's handsome face, Nowaki's new seme senses started tingling and not in a good way. He understood immediately, without knowing anything about the man, that he did not like him. Something in the abrupt change in Hiroki's demeanor told him that while this man had most likely not hurt Hiro-san in the same ways Tsumori had, he'd done something to the neko that had wounded him just as deeply.

Nowaki leaned over and picked up all the books. He set them in a stack on the table as Hiroki watched; his huge russet eyes filled with curiosity. Then Nowaki reached over slowly and gathered Hiroki up in his arms turning the neko around, as he pulled him in towards him, so that Hiroki found himself with his back nestled against Nowaki's broad chest.

"Nowaki?" Hiroki's voice sounded apprehensive. He began to struggle just a bit, unsure of the man's intentions.

Nowaki kept one arm wrapped around Hiroki's torso. He moved his other up, cupped the hybrid's fine jaw with his free hand, and tipped Hiroki's head way back. He pressed his lips against Hiroki's, cutting off any further questions. Hiroki's stiff body slowly melted into Nowaki's as the man first conquered his mouth and then set about claiming the rest of him.

Under Nowaki's tender dominance, Hiroki submitted. He wrapped his wiry arms up behind him, around the tall seme's neck. Nowaki used the hand that wasn't holding Hiroki's face to slowly, completely, unbutton Hiroki'e shirt. His surgical fingers were amazingly agile in this process. Anyone watching one would have thought he'd practiced this move a thousand times.

Nowaki pushed the fabric to the sides, baring Hiroki's thin torso. He was still angered and saddened by all the marks that covered his beloved hybrid's body, but even in its damaged state, it was beautiful to him.

His hand moved nimbly over the surface of Hiroki's skin, exciting the neko's flesh without antagonizing any of his injuries. Hiroki's nipples had become so sensitive from their piercings that Nowaki barely had to touch them to make Hiroki arch his back and hiss with agonized ecstasy.

Hiroki was so overcome with the sensations of pleasure that Nowaki was stirring within him, that he momentarily lost his self-consciousness. He was swept away by his need to allow Nowaki to possess him.

The new seme didn't quite understand all of the feelings that were roiling up inside of him. Despite how marred the surface of Hiro-san's flesh was, he felt an overwhelming urge to claim the neko, to add at least one mark of his own. He bent his head and placed his mouth on an unblemished spot on the hybrid's neck, halfway between the base of Hiroki's jaw and his shoulder. He focused his attentions here alternating between kisses, licks, nips, and sucks until he felt he had satisfactorily branded his pet with his lust.

Nowaki ran his large hand over the neko's torso. His longer fingers traced soft swirls in the little patch of silky fur on the catman's chest. Then they trailed down the center of Hiroki's increasingly sweat-slicked stomach to the other little patch of fur farther down. Hiroki gasped into another of Nowaki's kisses as a large hand encircled his arousal.

The young medic broke the kiss and nuzzled the delicate edge of Hiroki's good neko ear. His labored breaths tickled the delicate hairs inside and caused it to twitch madly as he whispered. "Oh, Hiro-san, you are so hard and wet already." Nowaki's thumb rubbed teasingly over the hybrid's weeping tip as he bent back down capturing the moan this pulled from Hiroki with his mouth.

Nowaki could feel both their bodies vibrating from the powerful purr emanating from deep in Hiroki's chest.

Nowaki removed his hand from the neko only long enough to spit in it, the saliva slicking his palm, as much Hiroki's as his own at this point from the exchange of their kisses. Nowaki combined this with Hiroki's own fluids as his hand resumed its grasp of the neko's stiff shaft and he began to slowly stroke it.

"Do you like being petted, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked softly as he increased the speed of his motions. He teased the neko with the pace and length of his strokes. Nowaki was enraptured by the panting feline, bucking under his hand. Hiroki's tail flicked wildly with every thrust.

"Unnnngh…. Yes….yes….," Hiroki gasped, though it could hardly be heard over the strength of his purr.

Nowaki did a little purring of his own. "Come, Kitty, Kitty," he coaxed as he felt Hiro-san reaching his peak under the ministrations of his incredibly intuitive hand.

Hiroki couldn't help it, he let out an ecstatic growl. His back arched as his body shuddered into its release. His tail wrapped around one of Nowaki's legs to anchor him as his hips convulsed with his climax, his seed shooting up and coating his torso, reaching all the way to the cinnamon patch on his upper chest.

Nowaki continued to hold the quaking catman until Hiroki's ragged pants had become soft sleepy breaths. He gently stroked the hybrid's damp brow with the hand that had previously been cradling Hiroki's lovely face.

Hiroki was completely spent. In the poor neko's whole life, no one had ever offered him such intimate attentions.

At last, Nowaki slipped out from under the sleepy catman, careful of his own aching arousal.

Hiroki made some whimpered sounds of protest but the hybrid, after all that, was literally as weak as a kitten.

Nowaki went and got a damp warm cloth and cleaned his neko as carefully as any mother cat ever did her kit. He pulled a blanket off the bed and draped it over his exhausted Hiro-san. Then he pulled a few things from the fridge and set them out for Hiroki to eat when he woke up.

Then Nowaki took a long, long, cold shower and changed into his work clothes. Before he left, he returned one more time to the edge of the couch to look down on his dreaming neko. "I hope that will make you feel more relaxed while I'm gone, Hiro-san," he whispered as he knelt down and gave the cinnamon brow a sweet kiss. He smiled as Hiroki breathed a small sigh in his sleep and snuggled down deeper.

Nowaki rose, grabbed his Boston bag and Akihiko's book as he left the apartment. Once out on the street, on his way to the train station to go to the hospital, he made one quick stop at the apartment's dumpsters and without a second thought, threw Usami Akihiko's novel in the trash.

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><p><strong>Also, thanks all for the feedback on the neko question. I'll write that chapter tomorrow sometime. If you haven't weighed in yet, I'd still love to hear from you. Though I think I know what I'm doing now. EEEEEE HEEEEE HEEEEE! Tune in….<strong>


	20. Fill: Tsumori

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Twenty: Fill**

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><p>Across town with the knackers, Tsumori had not been having anywhere near as nice of a day as Hiroki. For one, he had learned a very disturbing thing about the ears and tail that Jun and Ren had stuck on him.<p>

"They're what?" He'd shrieked from where he was sitting in the back of the van. At least this time, however, he was in front of the grating and not behind it. The back holding area contained a number of terrified ferals the knackers had found when they checked their traps that day, there was also a stray they'd lured into their clutches, and a very shabby used pet, in not much better condition than Hiroki had been, they'd purchased from its owner for next to nothing.

Ren looked back at the horrified blond. "I told you, they're real." The small knacker wasn't sure what was more annoying, the frightened yowls and sobs from the captives in the far back of the van or all Tsumori's bitching. One thing was for certain, the false neko was starting to get on his last nerve.

They had brought Tsumori with them because Jun didn't trust the young doctor being left at their apartment alone. They had collared him, for appearances with one not too unlike the one Tsumori had previously forced Hiroki to wear and let him ride in the back of the van. Then, the idiot had tried to escape as the two knackers were struggling to load a couple of particularly feisty ferals into the back.

Because he was still so stiff from Nowaki's thrashing, Tsumori hadn't been as fast as usual and found himself almost immediately tackled by the big knacker. He'd gotten a pretty good beating from Jun and had spent the rest of the afternoon securely trussed up. This was maddening because whatever it was the knackers had used to glue his fake neko parts on with had really begun to itch and burn, the tail and ears to tingle… Wait, no, he meant the place where the tail and ears connected to him were tingling. Right?

That was when he had started asking questions.

"You mean you bastards stuck dead neko parts to me!" Tsumori was so disgusted he began to retch.

Jun looked back at the man from where he was sitting behind the driver's wheel and laughed. Tsumori's whining and his attempted escape really pissed him off. Despite the possible ransom from kidnapping the Kamijou cat, the big knacker was sorely tempted to dump the fake neko at the next drop with the rest of the day's catch. If only they could get the name of the author, then they wouldn't need Tsumori anymore and could just dump him and get that Hiro hybrid themselves.

"Yeah, it was the Doc, well, we call him the Doc, but he's more of a scientist really. Anyway, it was the Doc himself who gave them to us. 'Extra parts he didn't need anymore,' he said." When Jun said this, all the real nekos in the back of the van immediately, except for a sniffle here and there, became silent. "He's the one who gave us the special adhesive too and told us how to use it. He told us to try this out if we couldn't find a real neko for him sometime. Lucky you, you're our first."

"You should be more grateful," Ren added, laughing. "After all I went to the trouble of finding you parts that matched your natural coloring. Imagine how stupid you would look right now if I'd gone with the black set."

"Arrrrgh," Tsumori screeched, "get them off me!" He started writhing frantically around on the ground.

"Tsumori!" Ren shouted, "You'd better follow the other nekos' example and shut the fuck up!"

Tsumori didn't listen. He'd just kept rolling around and yelling. Finally, Ren had enough. He pulled an even nastier looking collar than the one Tsumori was currently wearing, out of one of their "tool" boxes and climbed into the back of the van. He straddled the blond and, after a few smacks to get the man to stop struggling, switched to collars.

This one had a button that Ren activated. As soon as Tsumori yelled at the weasely knacker to "get the fuck off him!", he found himself the recipient of an agonizing shock. It did not take but a few minutes for Tsumori to become completely silent, though his eyes were still raging at Ren.

"Man, I wish you'd thought of putting that bark collar on him hours ago," Jun said, as Ren rejoined him at the front of the van. He sighed, relishing the quiet.

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><p>Later, after all the real nekos had been delivered, Tsumori found himself sitting, still tied up in a corner of the knackers' apartment watching them eat their dinner. He hadn't really eaten anything since the day before and he was really hungry. He couldn't ask for anything though because he was still wearing the shock collar. His throat was so sore from all the shocks he'd gotten because he still couldn't keep his mouth shut, he didn't know if he could have spoken right now anyway, even if he'd wanted to.<p>

Finding himself like this, Tsumori suddenly thought about Hiroki and how he'd treated the neko. His stomach growled really loudly just then and he looked up when he heard the smaller knacker laugh at the sound.

Both knackers had finished their meals and pushed back from the table. Ren was eying Tsumori speculatively. He got up and walked over to the false neko's corner. "You hungry?" He leered down at the blond.

Eagerly, Tsumori nodded his head, but he immediately changed his answer and began shaking it vigorously in the negative when he realized what the weasel had in mind. "How would the pussy like some milk?" Ren asked. He began to fumble with the front of his pants with one hand as he gripped Tsumori's collar with the other dragging him out of the corner.

"No fair," Jun said standing up. "I want dessert too."

Ren grinned evilly and motioned with his head to the end of Tsumori that he did not intend to immediately use. "Well, you know what they say, Jun..." Ren laughed when he saw his partner's confused look. "There's more than one way to fill a cat."

"Don't you mean 'skin', Ren?" The big knacker asked.

"Not just yet," Ren said. Suddenly Jun caught on. Looking at each other and then at the quaking Tsumori lying on the ground between them, they exchanged lusty grins. An instant later, they descended.

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><p><strong>I promise Miyagi and Shinobu are coming up! Lillemmi, thanks so much for the shock collar idea (naughty girlboy), the thought gave me the inspiration for the above. I couldn't help but want to be a little bit mean to Tsumori after all he put our Hiroki through.**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing!**


	21. Scholar: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Scholar**

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><p>When Nowaki finally got home after his shift at the hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning, this time he did not immediately worry when he could not find Hiroki right away. He stepped into the darkened bedroom and smiled when he saw the faint light being cast from under the closet door.<p>

"Hiro-san," he called softly as he slid the door open. Nowaki did not want to startle the catman. Hiroki had found a flashlight and was curled in the closet reading one of the books he had gotten him.

"Is the apartment too bright still, Hiro-san?" Nowaki teased, delighted by the huge russet eyes looking back up at him.

Hiroki blushed deeply. "Too noisy," the hybrid growled. "These apartment walls must be paper thin and your neighbors are too loud. Hard for a neko to even think with all that racket. The closet was the only place quiet enough for me to read."

"I see," Nowaki said simply. He was deeply amused. "Hiro-san, have you been waiting up for me this whole time?"

"What? Waiting for you?" Hiroki sounded indignant at the very suggestion, although this was completely true. "Of course not, that would be… Well, I mean, it's just a really good book… and…"

Nowaki's grin went almost from ear to ear. He'd never had anyone to wait up for him before.

Hiroki was getting very uncomfortable with the implications of this conversation, so he decided a shift in focus was called for. "Nowaki, I'm cold," he mumbled.

Nowaki, exhausted from his shift, had just kicked out of his pants and was in the midst of pulling off his shirt when he heard Hiroki's soft complaint. He finished getting undressed and slipped into futon. He held the covers up so that Hiroki could crawl out of the closet and into the bed with him. He wrapped himself around the neko and the two snuggled in together.

"Hiro-san, do you think you are going to be cold every night?" Nowaki asked, nestling his chin between silky cinnamon ears.

Hiroki's tail twitched, tickling the inside of Nowaki's thigh. "Yes," he said rather firmly.

"Good," Nowaki sighed as the two drifted off, each into sweet dreams of the other.

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><p>The rest of the weekend passed peacefully, but as Sunday wore on, the anticipation of meeting with his new senior professor the next day began to weigh heavily on Hiroki and the poor cat became increasingly agitated. Even Nowaki's "relaxation" technique did not really help (though that didn't mean it wasn't enjoyed).<p>

By Monday Hiroki was a nervous wreck. When he came out of the bedroom that morning on his way to the bath, the neko looked at Nowaki who was in the kitchen fixing breakfast. "Nowaki," Hiroki huffed, "why didn't you wake me up? I don't want to be late my first day meeting with Miyagi-sensei."

Nowaki just smiled good-naturedly at the irate hybrid. "I did try to wake you up, Hiro-san, like twenty-two times."

"Hrrmph, you should have tried twenty-three then," Hiroki muttered as he shut the bathroom door hard behind him.

Completely unperturbed, Nowaki continued making their breakfast. He was pleased that the neko was obviously feeling much better. He had just taken a sip of his morning tea when Hiroki emerged from the bathroom.

"Phsbtttttt!"

Nowaki couldn't help it, his tea sprayed out from behind his lips as he was completely caught off guard by the neko's appearance.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki choked, "why do you have your hair all slicked back like that?'

"I'm trying to look professional!" Hiroki snapped. Then watching Nowaki, biting his lips, he sighed. "It looks stupid, doesn't it?" Hiroki immediately began to muss it frantically with his paws. Now with his wild mane he looked a bit like a cinnamon lion.

"No, Hiro-san, I think you look adorable," Nowaki said as he stepped over to the frustrated neko and ran one of his large warm hands through Hiroki's hair. The hybrid had the most intense urge to rub up into the man's large palm, but he resisted and instead pulled away, slapping at Nowaki's outstretched hand.

"I'm not supposed to look cute." Hiroki hissed, "I am supposed to look scholarly."

"You do," Nowaki said.

"I do?" Hiroki asked, suddenly feeling hopeful.

"Yes," said Nowaki sincerely as he turned and walked back into the kitchen to retrieve their breakfast, "You look like a very cute scholar."

"Smart ass," Hiroki muttered under his breath as he slid down into his spot at the table.

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><p><strong>Short chapter, I know. I have the Terrorist neko conundrum solved though... Review if you like Terrorist!<strong>


	22. Emancipated: Egoist, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Emancipated**

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><p>Nowaki was currently ambling just a few paces behind his neko as they made their way down the halls of M University. He had been pleased that twice on their way, walking to the college that morning, Hiro-san had let him hold his hand briefly when there was no one else around.<p>

It had been amazing to watch the transformation that took place in the hybrid as they had neared the University. Each block they got closer, Hiroki had stood a bit straighter, limped a bit less (it would take some time for the poor cat to completely recover from all the physical abuse he had endured), and scowled a bit more as he moved further and further into his professorial persona.

Nowaki found himself thinking once again, about what an amazing creature his beloved Hiro-san was.

As they neared the door of Hiroki's new supervisor's office, the only thing that betrayed any of the cinnamon catman's immense anxiety was the occasional nervous twitch of an ear or flick of his tail.

Hiroki hesitated before knocking on Miyagi's door. He didn't mean to, but he found himself unconsciously looking over at Nowaki for assurance. He blushed when the man smiled and nodded his encouragement to Hiroki. _"Bahhh,"_ Hiroki thought, as he made sure that his knock did not sound as tentative as he felt, _"when did I become such a scaredy-cat?"_

"Come in, the door's open," a deep but pleasant voice called out from within.

Hiroki took a deep breath, turned the knob, and went inside.

Professor Miyagi had been sitting at his desk, but stood up when he saw who it was that was coming into his office. "Ah, Ka-mi-jou-san? How lovely to meet you in person or should I say, in furson, at last."

Nowaki and Hiroki had walked in together, but both stopped short when the older professor had stood up. They stayed frozen in place as the man (?) walked over to meet them.

Miyagi looked at the overlarge eyes of the pair standing in front of him and laughed. He took a cigarette out of the pack in his front shirt pocket and lit up.

Hiroki could not help himself, "No way! No one ever said anything about you being a neko."

Nowaki didn't say anything, but he was suddenly very disconcerted. Miyagi had to be about the biggest neko he'd ever seen. Though nowhere near as tall as he was, Miyagi was still just as tall as normally good-sized man.

Miyagi's large black ears which had initially been hidden, lying flat in his shiny dark mane now perked proudly forward. They had little wisps of stiff hair that stood straight up off the tips, like a lynx, and the thick fur inside them reached in feathery plumes outside their sleek edges.

But what really got to Nowaki was the professor's tail: it was long and incredibly lush, black with a few striking rings of silver. Miyagi's tail was full enough that a small woman could have worn it like a stole. It swept back and forth languidly.

The older professor did not seem the least bit disconcerted by the others' reaction to him. In fact, he seemed rather pleased. An amused smile crept onto the handsome hybrid's mouth. "Ah, you have found me out. I am a neko," Miyagi said around his cigarette.

"But you're so tall…" Nowaki breathed.

The professor replied mildly, "Oh, yes, well- the Miyagis are like the Maine Coons of the neko-sphere… Mr…Excuse me, I didn't catch your name."

"Kusama Nowaki, and Hiro-san, I mean, Kamijou-sensei belongs to me," Nowaki stated fiercely.

"Nowaki!" Hiroki exclaimed and shot him a shocked expression that quickly turned into a severe scowl.

Nowaki was rather shocked himself. He hadn't planned on making any articulation of ownership regarding Hiroki, in fact quite the opposite, and he had certainly never intended to say anything with such a possessive tone.

Before arriving at Miyagi's office, the new seme had been only slightly concerned about Hiro-san working with a human professor. After all, not all humans were attracted to nekos or used them in certain (sexual) ways. Nowaki's main issue was that he wanted to ensure that whomever Hiro-san worked with was not prejudiced against hybrids. He did not want to risk the chance of anyone mistreating the catman again.

But this Miyagi neko… not only was he handsome, but the energy that he exuded was definitely not an uke energy.

Miyagi and Hiroki both looked at Nowaki now, after his declaration with wide eyes. Hiroki's filled with chagrin, Miyagi's with interest.

The senior professor was not so blind that he didn't see the hickey on Hiroki's neck, peeking out from under the edge of the assistant professor's shirt collar. The old tom could sense the human male's unease about his newly claimed mate and found this insecurity enticed his mischievous sensibilities: he was a terrible professor, however, did not give in to playfulness just yet though. He was also feeling a bit cautious.

Miyagi had personally requested Hiroki to become his assistant, because he had been surreptitiously keeping track of the young professor. He'd learned that while the Kamijou cat was a strict instructor, he was terribly devoted to his subject. This appealed to Miyagi, who, while he did not seem particularly serious about many things, was very serious indeed about literature.

But more than this, due to his own unique situation as a neko, the raven-coated Miyagi was also sensitive to neko issues and while he did not spend any time (since he had his own office) in the neko lounge, he still had his finger on the pulse of the University's hybrid grapevine.

Miyagi had heard during the last few months that the assistant professor had come upon some hard times lately and he had felt compelled to do anything he could to assist a fellow neko and lover of literature. It didn't hurt that he'd observed Hiroki, unbeknownst to the younger neko, and thought it might also be awfully fun to have someone around who seemed so serious, but was at the same time so easily flustered.

Miyagi looked at Hiroki. "I thought someone told me that you belonged to the author, Usami Akihiko."

Hiroki immediately felt Nowaki stiffen beside him. He instantly regretted not telling the the whole truth on Saturday, when Nowaki had given him the books, but his pride had prevented him from saying anything. The uncomfortable neko blushed deeply.

"I did, but I belong to Kusama-san now." Hiroki said this without looking at Nowaki.

"But I have not belonged to him long. Only a few days," Hiroki added quickly, watching the larger neko size him up. Hiroki knew that while he looked sharp in the new clothes Nowaki had gotten him, his countenance was still scuffed from his time with Tsumori and he did not want Miyagi to think that Nowaki was responsible for his damaged appearance.

"And that's going well for you, is it?" Miyagi inquired.

"Umm, yes, quite, thank you." Hiroki said, though he was not sure that this would still be true after this meeting. The hybrid cast a cautious sideways glance at Nowaki, and frowned. Yes, the news about Akihiko had certainly made Nowaki very unhappy.

"And who do you belong to, Miyagi-sensei?" Hiroki asked. He hoped he wasn't being rude, but he needed to say something to keep from having to speak to Nowaki at the moment.

"No one. I'm emancipated," the black-haired neko said nonchalantly as he blew a ring of smoke. "I've been given human status. That's how I was able to become a full professor.

"Some people will tell you I achieved my position because I married the Dean's daughter," Miyagi confided to Hiroki, "but I had my tenure before we ever got engaged."

"You married a human too?" Hiroki was mystified.

"Well, we're not married anymore." Miyagi winked at Nowaki. "She just couldn't handle the strength of my neko love, I suppose," he sighed. Miyagi could tell that his comment only added to the tall man's discomfort, secretly this pleased him.

Nowaki managed to set his tumultuous feelings to the side for a moment. "How did you get emancipated?" He asked. He had never heard of such a thing.

"Well, my first and only owner put it in her will that she wanted me to be set free when she died." For the first time since Hiroki and Nowaki had entered his office, Miyagi seemed serious. For a moment his eyes became very sad. Then the large hybrid looked at Nowaki. "Of course there are other ways to emancipate a neko, but it is quite a lengthy and involved process."

"If you're free, then why are you still wearing a collar, Miyagi-sensei?" Hiroki asked.

It was true. Miyagi sported a thin black leather choker around the base of his thick neck, visible just above his shirt collar."Well, I have my emancipation ID," Miyagi said, showing the pair the sliver bracelet that was more or less hidden by the band of his watch. "But a visible collar just makes it so much easier to navigate the world, unfortunately. It raises a lot fewer questions to wear it. Besides," the big neko's voice became a bit wistful, "sensei, my mistress, gave this to me. It's a way I can keep her with me."

Miyagi looked down and seemed to get lost in thought for a moment, but when he looked up again, his playful smile had been carefully painted back on. He stubbed his cigarette out in one of the many ashtrays that dotted the office.

"You know, I'm big enough and since I have human ears too, if I wanted to I could have had surgery after my emancipation and had my ears clipped and my tail docked and probably passed as one hundred percent human, but…" Miyagi turned and swished his luscious tail about just a bit suggestively. "I just couldn't do it." He looked over his shoulder meaningfully at Hiroki, "I mean, look at that tail…"

While Hiroki did not really find the older professor attractive, he was hit with a rather sharp twinge of tail envy. His own skinny cinnamon rope looked awfully weak in comparison. "It would be a crime," Hiroki agreed.

"Why, thank you, Ka-mi-jou," Miyagi purred.

Nowaki clenched his fists as he stood there. His eyebrow twitched and he could feel the backs of his ears growing hot.

Miyagi turned to face the neko and owner again and found himself a bit taken aback. Not by Nowaki's dark expression (which should have given the large feline the sense he was about to be shortly separated from one of his nine lives), but rather instead, to discover that there had been someone besides Hiroki and Nowaki who had also been observing his fabulous appendage.

A small caramel-colored neko youth, still a kitten (about sixteen in neko years) with huge dark gray eyes was standing in the open doorway, his saucer-like orbs tracking every swish of the dark neko's tail.

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><p><strong> So… This was my solution to the neko problem. The vote was so closely divided; it was too hard to choose. <strong>

**I want to thank all of you who offered opinions and ideas. You were all fabulous and thank you! Lazy Kitty Hyuu, another shout out for the bit about Miyagi and his sensei's collar.**

**So all let me know what you think.**

**I think, I will definitely do a "Neko-Seme" fic after this and perhaps a couple of Terrorist neko one shots alternating uke-neko, seme-neko, your response to the pair was so great!**

**Until tomorrow, when the Hiroki/Nowaki, Miyagi/Shinobu drama continues… As always ….Meow (oops… I meant, Review). **


	23. Fate: Egoist, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Fate**

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><p>"Oi, kid, what are you doing there?" Miyagi barked at the little male. "Where's your person? You shouldn't be scampering around the University loose on your own."<p>

The young kit crinkled his nose at Miyagi's reprimand. His thin caramel tail twitched peevishly but he did not move from the door frame, nor did his eyes ever leave the huge hybrid.

The intensity of the youngster's gray gaze for some reason made the usually unflappable Miyagi feel slightly unnerved. He was about to shout at the kitten again when suddenly the Dean called in the hall outside.

"Shinobu-chan! Ah, there you are, you naughty kitty. How many times have I told you that you need to stay close and not run off ahead?" The Dean's voice sounded frazzled, but not really angry.

The caramel kitten's nose crinkled further. He reluctantly turned his head to face the sound of the Dean's voice but still, his eyes did not leave Miyagi.

The Dean appeared a moment later in the doorway and entered the office. Shinobu slipped in silently behind him.

"Why, Dean Takatsuki, I didn't know you had gotten yourself a neko." Miyagi's tufted black ears twitched in surprise.

"Oh, he's not mine, he's your ex-wife, I mean my daughter's… Well, not hers entirely really.

"She saw a program on neko welfare and decided she had to get a neko to foster. She picked him because the breed is the same as our surname. But you know Risako… She doesn't always quite think things through."

The Dean winced as he said this, hoping that Miyagi wouldn't take offense and think that he'd been alluding to the professor's rather disastrous marriage. The flustered administrator continued, his voice revealing his obvious discomfort, "You know, ermm… Risako's become quite busy lately with her new… ah, male 'friend' and her job, so my wife and I have been keeping Shinobu-chan for her."

"Sounds like a lot of hassle. Why don't you just give him back to whoever she got him from or put him up for adoption… or sell him?" Miyagi didn't really mean it, but the young neko disconcerted him. He narrowed his eyes at the kitten, but the wee caramel cat was not the least bit intimidated.

The Dean pulled the young hybrid up alongside him. He covered the kitten's fuzzy ears.

"Well, the group home where Risako got him from burned down not long after and good facilities for young cats with um… difficult… I mean 'special' temperaments are hard to come by.

"As for the other things you mentioned, we can't, he's still too young yet, that's why Risako… Well, now, why we are fostering him."

"To be honest, having such a young cat in the house is a little bit more than my wife and I bargained for. He's a very lively little fellow."

Miyagi noticed with some dismay that the Dean had left the little hybrid's human ears completely unobstructed. The small neko did not, however, seem to mind the Dean's critique of him. In fact, the little troublemaker got a rather pleased smirk on his face.

"Come now, Shinobu-chan. Don't be rude." The Dean removed his hands from the kitten's ears and ruffled the dark-blonde head. He pushed Shinobu slightly forward towards the others. "Say hello."

The small hybrid ducked out of from under the annoying hand and shot his benefactor a look of displeasure. The Dean sighed.

Shinobu looked up at Nowaki and gave him a reluctant "hello." Nowaki beamed at the youth. It didn't matter if they were human or neko, he loved youngsters.

Then Shinobu glared at Hiroki and a rather soft growl could be heard coming from deep within his slender throat.

Hiroki seriously desired to growl back, but knew that such behavior would be far less than dignified. Besides, understood he was already in trouble with Nowaki and he did not want to mess up this opportunity to impress the Dean or his new superior. So, Instead, he opted to fix the uppity kit with one of his most fearsome scowls.

Shinobu did not seem particularly dismayed. Instead, he moved in closer to Miyagi.

Miyagi looked down at the kitten uneasily. For some reason, despite the difference in their age and size, the superior seme neko suddenly understood how a mouse might feel, as he was stared down by Shinobu's unblinking gray eyes.

"Uh, Shinobu, is it? Very nice to meet you," Miyagi nodded.

Shinobu shocked Miyagi by darting forward and grasping one of his wrists. He lifted Miyagi's hand, closed his eyes, and pushed his amber head into the older neko's large palm, rubbing his baby-soft ears against it. Then he stopped and turned his head slightly.

One large gray eye opened and regarded the stunned professor with profound intensity.

"Fate, Miyagi-san," Shinobu purred in greeting.

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><p><strong>Short, I know, but there's more to come. Until then, thank you for reading…..<strong>


	24. Growl: Egoist, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Growl**

Miyagi pulled his hand away from the caramel kitten like its fur was an open flame. The little male stood there looking at him meaningfully a moment more and then slipped over to the window, the motion of some birds on a tree branch outside had caught his attention.

"Interesting kid," Miyagi said to the Dean.

"Umm, well, yes," the Dean agreed, then added, "Shinobu certainly seems to have taken a shine to you, Miyagi-kun."

The big neko looked over at the kitten standing at the window. Shinobu was resting his small paws on the sill. His slender caramel tail whipped about excitedly, his ears vibrated as he eagerly watched the birds. Watching the young kit, Miyagi was surprised at himself: there was a quality about the little figure that caused something in his old tom chest to catch.

Frowning at this unexpected emotion, Miyagi turned back to the other three figures.

"Well, Kamijou-kun," the Dean was saying, "Miyagi-kun told me you would be meeting with him this morning and I just wanted to come down and congratulate you myself. This is quite an accomplishment for an un-emancipated neko: teaching advanced courses, being an assistant. Your owner should be very proud."

"Ummmm, yes, well, thank you, Dean Takatsuki," Hiroki said nervously, his blush creeping back up into his cheeks.

"So where is that new master of yours? Tsumori was his name, wasn't it? I would think he would want to be here to celebrate your achievement."

"Oi!" Miyagi shouted, before Hiroki had a chance to answer.

The Takatsuki kitten had tired of the birds outside the window it seemed and had returned his attention to the big cat. He had silently snuck up behind Miyagi and suddenly pounced, capturing the noir neko's magnificent tail and wrapping himself up in it. He was standing back to back with Miyagi now, looking up over his shoulder at the big male with his huge stormy eyes. Shinobu had the end of the professor's tail between his small paws and was softly stroking it.

It took a concerted effort for Miyagi to pull the kitten, who was clinging more stubbornly than a burr, out of his tail. "Hey, Brat! Didn't anyone ever teach you any manners? You just can't go around grabbing another neko's tail!" He was holding the small feline out in front of him now by the scruff of Shinobu's shirt collar.

The professor watched in dismay as Shinobu's huge kitten eyes got glassy with tears. "Fate, Miyagi-san," the caramel cat sighed.

Miyagi could not abide Shinobu's tears, nor did he want to make the Dean's foster kitten cry in front of his superior or the others. "Hey, Shinobu-chin, I don't know what's up with you and all this 'fate' stuff, but come now," Miyagi awkwardly soothed. He released the small neko's shirt and chucked the kitten under the chin, "let's not have any tears."

Miyagi had leaned down a bit towards Shinobu as he said this and was shocked when Shinobu suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around his. Miyagi straightened in surprise and somehow found himself holding the small hybrid cradled in his arms.

"Uh, Shinobu-chan," Miyagi looked down at the kitten. Shinobu just nuzzled into his neck and began purring softly. The embarrassed tom looked over at the other three as if for assistance. Hiroki looked away, his cheeks growing pink. Nowaki smiled, secretly pleased by the other seme's distress.

"Umm, I'm sorry about this, Dean Takatsuki," Miyagi said rather sheepishly. "Nothing like this has ever happened to me before."

The Dean surprisingly seemed pleased. "Nonsense, Miyagi-kun, actually I must say, it's rather a relief."

"What, how's that?" the confused hybrid seme asked.

"Well, Shinobu never likes anyone… though he obviously has made an exception in your case for some reason."

Now it was the Dean's turn to look sheepish, "You know, Miyagi-kun, my wife and I are going to be leaving tomorrow, I have a conference in Kyoto and she's accompanying me to visit some family there and Risako's out of town right now as well….We've tried to leave Shinobu with pet sitters before, but when he doesn't like someone, it can be ummm… well, 'disastrous', I think, is the word I'm looking for.

"I feel terribly awkward asking this, but do you think you could look after him for a few days, while we're gone? I was going to kennel him, but I think this would be so much healthier for the boy."

"What? Oh, hell no!" Miyagi exclaimed. Beneath his chin Shinobu's purring suddenly stopped. "I mean, I'm not really set up at my apartment to take care of a kitten... I probably wouldn't feed him right… I mean, I don't really cook… And besides, I'm sure I'm going to find myself spending a lot of extra time with Kamijou, showing him the ropes, getting him settled in… and with my research, all the time I spend at the library…I'm hardly ever home as it is."

At the mention of Hiroki's name, Shinobu raised his head and shot the young professor a venomous glare.

Seeing this, Hiroki's brow furrowed. The furrow grew even deeper still when the catman saw how dark Nowaki's expression had grown after hearing Miyagi mention spending extra time with him. Hiroki was suddenly worried that Nowaki might change his mind about letting him work with Miyagi.

The Dean seemed not at all put off by any of Miyagi's concern's. "Nonsense, Miyagi-kun, Shinobu-chan can cook a bit and he goes to school during the day. He's been coming with me to my office quite a lot lately, so he's comfortable on campus. He could just come here and hang out in your office after school. I'm sure you wouldn't even know he's here."

"I'm sure." The sarcasm in Miyagi's voice was not lost on Hiroki or Nowaki, but the Dean didn't seem to notice it at all.

"Please, Miyagi-kun," the Dean besought. "Besides, I'm sure it would do Shinobu some good to spend time with an older male hybrid. He needs a role model."

Miyagi sighed heavily and suddenly needed another cigarette. It was the Dean, his boss, who was asking him after all. The big neko was trying not to notice as well, how nice it felt to hold Shinobu's slender body in his arms, nor did he wish to acknowledge how much the sensation of the kitten's soft purring against his chest had stirred him. "Oh, alright… Fine, Shinobu can stay with me."

"Wonderful!" the Dean clapped his hands in relief. "I'll drop Shinobu and his things round this afternoon, since we're leaving so early tomorrow morning." He addressed his foster pet, "Okay, Shinobu-chan, let's go. These professors need to get to work."

While Miyagi was extricating himself from Shinobu, the kitten was very reluctant to let the older neko go, Hiroki turned to the Dean. "Ummm, Dean Takatsuki, this is Kusama Nowaki. He's my owner now. I don't belong to Tsumori-san anymore." Hiroki blushed deeply as he said this.

Nowaki smiled politely at the Dean. He was feeling much more at ease knowing that, for the next few days at least, Hiroki's new supervisor was going to have his hands so full with the kitten he would probably not be able to be inappropriate with Hiro-san. Still, he had a feeling he would need to keep a close eye on the big seme neko. Nowaki knew firsthand how irresistible his Hiro-san was.

"I see," said the Dean, a look of worry crossed his face and he looked at Hiroki carefully. Then he turned back to Nowaki. "I imagine you have some papers to give me. Why don't we go to my office and get everything squared away while Kamijou-kun and Miyagi-kun get further acquainted."

Nowaki couldn't help himself. Before he left he stepped over to Hiroki and planted a quick kiss on the mortified neko's forehead. "Be good, Hiro-san, and don't forget, I'll be here after your classes to take you to the vet." He shot a significant look at Miyagi. Miyagi, to Nowaki's consternation, just looked amused.

"Nowaki!" Hiroki pushed Nowaki away. His face was so hot Hiroki thought his ears might combust. "Not here!"

Nowaki wasn't at all put off by Hiroki's protestations. Instead, he just ruffed the flustered neko's head. "You're too cute, Hiro-san," he said as he headed off towards the door.

"Come, Shinobu-chan," the Dean called again. Seeing the look of displeasure on the kitten's face about having to leave his new friend, the Dean clucked his tongue. "Now, now, come along. Don't make me have put you on your leash again."

With that threat, the kitten slunk out of the office following after the Dean and Nowaki. As he passed by Hiroki, Shinobu hissed.

Hiroki couldn't help it, a small growl built in his chest. He tried to cover this however, by pretending to clear his throat.

Miyagi watched all of this attentively as he lit another cigarette. His wonderful tail swayed placidly behind him. He sighed as he exhaled a perfect ring of smoke. It certainly looked to him like things around the office were rapidly going to get a lot more interesting.

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><p><strong>Thanks everyone for the reviews, they really keep me motivated to write (hint). Luna, thank you for the correction (no need to yell though). I changed it.<strong>


	25. Runaway: Egoist, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Runaway**

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><p>Out in the hallway, once they were a distance from Miyagi's office. The Dean stopped Nowaki. "Shinobu-chan, why don't you go on ahead to my office? I'll catch up with you there in a minute." The kitten scowled at him but slouched off. "Make sure you go straight there! And don't get into any trouble along the way!" The man called out after the disappearing neko.<p>

The Dean turned back to face Nowaki, and so missed the petulant kit-teen look back and stick his sandpaper tongue out at him.

Nowaki saw it though and had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing.

"He's here because he got kicked out of school again," the Dean sighed. "He was fighting with some human boys." The administrator looked at Nowaki. "Some nekos have a harder time than others accepting their position in life."

The way that he said this, lead Nowaki to believe that the Dean was not just talking about Shinobu. "Excuse me, Takatsuki-san," Nowaki asked, "but are you trying to say something about Hiro-san?"

Nowaki had always been one to speak simply, but the Dean was slightly taken aback by the man's directness. "Well," the Dean said, his face turning red. "Kusama-san, when it comes to the University's hybrids, particularly those who have worked hard enough to achieve faculty status, I generally try to stay out of issues of ownership as much as possible. I suppose that is a fault of mine, something that I clearly should be paying closer attention to.

"You see, when I gave Kamijou-kun his promotion last week, I assumed it would be no problem. Usami-sensei has always been supportive, if somewhat removed from his neko's professional life. Well, you can imagine my shock when Kamijou-kun told me that he had a new owner. I mean, the neko had been with Lord Usami for almost ten years."

"Ten years?" Nowaki gasped. A big pit opened up in the middle of his stomach.

"Kamijou-kun didn't tell you? I was afraid of that." The Dean sighed.

"Well, I knew that he'd belonged to Usami, but I'd had no idea that it was for so long," Nowaki quickly interjected. Despite how this news made him feel, Nowaki did not wish to cause any problems for Hiro-san. He knew how much literature and teaching mean to the catman. Besides, it wasn't exactly a lie. He had known, only it was Miyagi, not Hiro-san who had "let the cat out of the bag," so to speak.

"It seems that Usami-sensei bought the Kamijou cat when he was about the same age as Shinobu, but he didn't take possession of Kamijou-kun until he was of legal age, so technically I guess, he had only been with Usami-sensei for eight years. You know that was part of why we hired him. It was quite a distinction to have a pet of such prestigious ownership here. Though, I will say, once we employed him, he certainly proved his own merit.

"Anyway, it wasn't until he had a new owner, that I even ever looked at Kamijou-kun's papers." Takatsuki looked quite chagrined as he said this. "Then I saw that his new master, Tsumori-san, had submitted shelter auction adoption documents, marking Kamijou-kun as stray/feral.

"Well, I called Usami-sensei and he confirmed that his neko had run away and had been gone for several months. When I asked him why he hadn't notified the University, he said it was because he didn't want the professor to be disgraced."

_Hiro-san ran away?_ Nowaki did not ask this out loud, but the news of this shocked him. He found himself overwhelmed with a multitude of conflicting emotions.

The rather dense Dean seemed not to notice Nowaki's dismay. "Damned irresponsible of the man, if you ask me. To think the University had been harboring a runaway for that long, though Kamijou-kun is a very fine instructor. Anyway, Usami-sensei asked me to please not cause problems for the professor, so I agreed.

"But you have to understand my grave concern when I come in today and find that Kamijou-kun has changed hands again, within just a few months…It makes me very nervous, this transience."

"Oh, well, Takatsuki-san, please let me assure you that Hiro-san… I mean Kamijou-sensei, I am sure, will not let these changes affect his ability to do his work. I know that he is very dedicated." Nowaki said, though he was still reeling from what the Dean had just told him.

"I appreciate your vote of confidence in the professor, Kusama-san. Though I must tell you, the fact that he ran away… well, that's a very undignified behavior, not to mention illegal. Still, I am allowing his promotion to stand at Usami-sensei's request.

"I did want to let you know, as his new owner, this tendency for flight, in case you weren't aware of it. You might want to get a tracking device for his collar or at least get him micro-chipped. If Lord Usami had done this, they would have returned his neko to him when they picked Kamijou-kun up, despite the fact that he'd lost ownership rights by that time."

"What do you mean?" Nowaki asked.

"I'm surprised you don't know, Kusama-san. As the owner of a neko, I suggest you make yourself familiar with neko law. Usami-sensei reported it to neko welfare when his Kamijou cat first disappeared. If a neko is reported and not returned or if it is returned and its return not recorded, unless the hybrid is chipped, after a month the owner loses legal rights.

"I suppose it was because of this Usami-sensei told me he did not contest his rights with Tsumori-san."

"You mean Usami-san knew Tsumori-san had Hiro… Kamijou-sansei?"

"Yes, he said he'd tried to buy the cat from the man, but Tsumori-san told him the neko didn't want to go back to him, so he decided to leave the professor where he thought he would be happiest. Though I can't say if Kamijou-kun has switched owners again so soon that it could have been all that happy."

The Dean scrutinized Nowaki again. "Kusama-san, as Kamijou-kun's new owner, I feel it's only right to warn you that given all of this, the professor is on the strictest probation. If there is another incident, or if all these changes affect his ability to teach, at the end of the semester, not only will Kamijou-kun lose his promotion, he will also lose his job."

"I understand, Takatsuki-san, and I appreciate you giving Hiro-san, I mean Kamijou-sensei this chance. I am sure he won't let you down," Nowaki said gravely. "He is a most amazing hybrid."

"I hope for his sake you are right, Kusama-san," the Dean sighed, happy to be done with this unpleasant conversation. Then he looked at his watch. "Oh, my," he breathed. "I'd better get back to my office, "heavens only know what mischief Shinobu has gotten himself into by this time. Thank you for talking with me, Kusama-san."

"No, Dean Takatsuki, thank you for letting me know all this information, I very much appreciate it."

This said, Nowaki watched the Dean hurry off to his office. Nowaki found himself heading to the exit of Languages and Literature building, feeling lost and weighted down among all this new information and his own troubled thoughts.

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading and please review.<strong>


	26. Shocked: Tsumori

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Shocked**

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><p>Across town there was someone else who had also just experienced an unwelcome revelation of his own.<p>

Tsumori had woken up that morning more or less immobilized. The false neko was not just bound, but sandwiched in bed between the two sleeping knackers. There wasn't a single spot on the blond's body that was not sore and there were a couple of places that were excruciating. One in particular, that he really did not want to think about: last night the knackers had tried to find about every possible variation on "ways to fill a cat."

That wasn't all.

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><p>Tsumori had the little knacker, Ren, in his mouth when Jun first tried to take him from behind. The big knacker had not prepared him well and Jun was significantly endowed…Very. When Jun forced his way in, Tsumori could not help but scream. The pain from the shock collar caused him to clamp down on Ren.<p>

The small knacker smacked Tsunori hard and pulled out quickly, cursing.

"God damn it, I guess I'd better take that thing off." Ren indicated the collar to Jun, who now that he had his cock in Tsumori, really could not care less. The weasely knacker took Tsumori's drooling chin in his hand. "I don't give a fuck if you yell, but if I hear one recognizable word out of you, you're going to wish you were never born. Understand?"

Tsumori thought he was already at that place, but he nodded. He grimaced as the big knacker had not withdrawn from him. He couldn't help but yelp when Jun withdrew a bit and then slammed into him again. The shock from the collar caused everything inside of him to clench.

Ren was fumbling with the buckle on the collar when Jun thrust in again. "Fuck, Jun, hold off a minute, so I can get this thing off!"

"No way, Ren, you have got to fucking try this. When he gets shocked, his insides spasm. It's amazing!"

Tsumori looked to the small knacker for mercy and found none. Ren just leered down at him lustily.

"Is that so? Well then, hurry the fuck up so I can have my turn!" He moved around towards Jun.

That had been the start of the longest night of Tsumori's life.

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><p>Now he was stuck, lying between the two degenerates.<p>

Tsumori thought again about all the things he had done to Hiro, the men he'd sold the neko professor to, the things that they had done, the things he'd watched them do. He thought about all the nights he'd made his hybrid sleep in the corner on the hard floor, though to be honest, at the moment that certainly sounded more appealing to him than where he currently found himself.

Tsumori supposed that with all that he was suffering, it should have given him some empathy for Hiroki, but all it really did was piss him off. That, and the fact that Hiro was with Nowaki now only made him seethe with anger, despite what his kohai had done to him.

He couldn't wait until he could get his hands on that little neko bitch again. When he did, both _it_ and Nowaki would really feel some true pain. Then, once he got out of this mess, he'd deal with the fucking knackers as well.

_God damn, I am so fucking stiff. _Tsumori desperately needed to move but he didn't dare, for fear of waking the two perverts and having them resume where they'd left off.

Still, one of his ears was itching so maddeningly, Tsumori didn't know how much longer he could stand it. He gave his ear just a tiny twitch to see if he could dislodge the itch and then had the horrible realization that he'd never been able to twitch his ears before. Tsumori was also suddenly aware that it wasn't even his human ear that was making him crazy, it was the cat ear, and it wasn't just itching where the knackers had shaved his head and stuck it on, it was the outside edge.

Tsumori's tail gave a very weak tic of its own in response to his mounting terror. He sat bolt up in the bed almost knocking Ren on the floor.

"What the fuck is your problem!" The little knacker yelled, slapping Tsumori as he struggled to right himself in the bed.

Jun propped himself up on his elbows, his eyes still dazed with sleep. "What's going on?" He asked mildly: he was much more of a morning person than Ren.

They had finally taken the collar off last night before dumping Tsumori on the bed. Tsumori's neck was badly blistered where the metal studs had delivered their charges. Still the man in the middle raised his bound hands to his abused throat as he tried to tell his two captors about his fantastical sensations.

Tsumori's panic multiplied a thousand-fold when the only thing he was able to articulate was a hoarse and partially strangled, "Meeew!"

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><p><strong>New AN 12013: Thank you lovelies for all the alerts, reviews and favorites. Work took precedence over editing this week, so I missed a few days. Here's some more chapters for you.  
><strong>

**Teabags, sorry for spamming you. You might want to un-alert me until I get all my chapters re-uploaded.**

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><p><strong>Old AN:<br>**

**So, three chapters in a day (even though this one is short). **

**Liz, this chapter is for you, to satisfy your curiosity. **

**Luna, thank you for the note. I completely understand and figured as much. Glad you are enjoying the story.**

**Kirakrz, where are you? I have missed you…Hope the double terrorist neko did not disappoint you too much.**

**For all those who have been so gracious as to review, you have my great gratitude! (Not just saying that.)**


	27. Author: Romantica

**Okay, so for all those of you who have been so patiently waiting… Enter Akihiko!**

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><p><strong>Warning: Lemon Alert (as though I could do a chapter about that big pervert without one…)<strong>

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><p><strong>Neko-Hiro<strong>

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Author**

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><p>Over in another part of town, a famous author was having his own neko issues that Monday.<p>

Akihiko had registered his sweet Misaki kitten for classes at M University, because he could personally not stand the thought of owning an uneducated pet.

That had been one of the main things, in addition to his friendship with the Kamijou cat that had enticed him to purchase Hiroki: the cinnamon neko had a great brain under those fuzzy ears of his, in addition to a deep love of learning.

Akihiko smiled remembering how flustered Hiroki had been when he had bought him and offered to take the neko with him to college. Hiroki had huffed about and pretended as though he could have gone even without his permission, though he could see how much it meant to the hybrid.

Hiroki had even gotten a neko scholarship; he'd done so well in high school. Akihiko had covered whatever the scholarship didn't. By Hiroki's third year, however, the neko had earned a full-ride that carried on into his graduate studies. Still, as soon as he had started teaching, despite Akihiko's protestations, the proud Kamijou cat had turned over every paycheck (minus a small amount to buy books), until he had paid back everything his owner had invested in his education.

Now Misaki was taking courses. The chocolate kitten had his own brand of pride, though it was not nearly as fierce as the demon Kamijou-cat's. Akihiko sighed, cute as Misaki was, he had to admit the little male was a bit of a bubblehead and a horrible student to boot.

True, his newest pet was a tremendous cook and kept his condo in a state of cleanliness he had never known. Misaki knew his household duties and performed them excellently, as any true good submissive neko would.

Still, Akihiko thought about all the great debates he and his first pet had carried on. Verbal wars taking place on the battleground of the dirty dining room table, crumpled drafts of documents, empty takeout boxes littering the floor. He, waving a cigarette, Hiroki a red pen; each of them brandishing his cylinder of choice as though it were a sword.

Lavender eyes scanned the wall that had been washed spotless by Misaki the first week the kitten had arrived. He tried and failed to locate any trace of the stain that had previously lived there for years after one particularly impassioned exchange, when Hiroki had thrown a half-empty carton of green curry at his head, missing by only inches.

That was so much more engaging than vapid discussions about ridiculous manga stories, or cake recipes, or barely coherent articulations in Japanese, forget any other languages, all peppered with a number of apologies and delivered with an air of hesitancy.

Akihiko sighed. It was not as though he didn't love his new neko.

_Oh lord, how adorable Misaki is... with that tousled chocolate head of his, the brilliant algae-green pools of his eyes, his lovely pink lips, and that wonderfully rough tongue._

Usami's erection twitched and he suddenly remembered where he was going before he gotten lost in his mental ramblings. He was horny and Misaki did not have any classes that morning.

This fact was going to provide him with great relief today on a number of levels. First, he planned to fuck his little kitten so soundly Misaki would not be able to get around upright and would have to spend the entire afternoon on all fours, a delicious vision.

Second, he did not have to drop the neko off and pick him up at the University and then spend the interminable hours in between waiting for his pet to be done with classes. He was always so worried that something would happen while Misaki was out of his care or that someone might steal his kitten away.

"Mi-sa-ki… Here… Ki-ki-ki-ki," Akihiko crooned.

He was getting frustrated. It seemed that cats weren't the only creatures that liked cream; there was a very thirsty silver-backed rabbit on the prowl.

Akihiko had already had one heady serving of Misaki's milk, right after breakfast. He'd caught the flustered kitten at the sink while his paws were occupied with the dishes. Now, though, having learned over time what his free schedule on Mondays entailed, Misaki had taken to hiding in the apartment as soon as his morning chores were complete. At first, Akihiko had been enchanted by the game, but now it was becoming tiresome.

The author's thoughts drifted back to Hiroki again. For some reason he had found himself doing this more and more often over the last several weeks.

Akihiko knew that Hiroki would have probably let him fuck him senseless any time he'd wanted, as long as the still got his grading done.

_None of this hide and seek nonsense._

He recalled the first and, well, only time, he and his hybrid had had sex. Hiroki had surprised him with not only his bold suggestion, but also the act: sucking him into hardness, straddling his lap, coaxing him to climax. He had been amazed by his pet's skill.

Later Akihiko realized how little attention he'd paid to his hybrid's sex life. While they were in college and after, he had often told Hiroki to feel free to mate. It was during their encounter that he discovered that apparently the cinnamon catman had taken his words to heart.

Akihiko now knew that Hiroki had loved him, as well as wanted him. He'd at last grasped that he had been so immersed in his infatuation with the first Takahashi tabby, that he'd failed to realize this. He'd only begun to truly understand after Hiroki had run away after he'd brought Misaki home.

Still he hadn't fully comprehended this until he was packing up Hiroki's things in the neko's room. He could have had Misaki do it, but for some reason he wanted to do it himself. He'd planned to send Hiroki's belongings over to the hybrid professor's new owner, Tsumori, after the man had told him that Hiroki never wanted to speak to him again.

Among Hiroki's things, he had found one of the neko's journals. Akihiko couldn't help it, rabbits can be curious too, and he'd been surprised, since he'd always thought of himself as the only diary keeper in the household.

Though Hiroki was not one given to any external displays of romanticism, and even though his journal writings were couched in careful Kamijou constructions, it only took an entry or two for Akihiko to realize what he had been too blinded by his own passions to see.

_If only that damn puss wasn't so proud._

If Hiroki had told him what he'd felt, stayed around a bit longer, certainly the neko would have eventually recognized that there was enough Usami Akihiko to split between his two pets.

_Hell, probably enough for three or four._

Then Akihiko would have had the best of both worlds; Misaki would be relieved that his cute cock and sore bottom would not have to bear the entire brunt of his owner's libido; and Hiroki, if he could overcome his foolish pride, would find himself the recipient of the intellectual and occasionally physical affections of a man he obviously desired. It would be perfect…

_Except for the fact that Hiroki now belongs to someone else._

Akihiko damned himself for not getting that recalcitrant cat chipped. He also wished he'd paid closer attention to neko law when he was in college getting his law degree, but it seem so inconsequential at the time.

It still pained him that Hiroki had told Tsumori that he didn't want any of his things. "Because he wants no visual reminders of the time he spent with Usami-sensei:" Tsumori had told Akihiko this after he'd made the first payment, trying to buy Hiroki back. Even now, all of the Kamijou cat's belongings were still sitting in boxes in Hiroki's old room. Akihiko hadn't had the heart to get rid of them.

Akihiko climbed the stairs. "Mi-sa-ki… Here… Ki-ki-ki-ki," he called looking down the hall.

_Where has that naughty neko gotten to?_ Then he saw it. He'd forgotten to lock the bear room again.

_Damn it._

The bear room was one of Misaki's favorite and more successful hiding places, which was why he tried to keep the door locked at all times. The kitten's strategy reminded Akihiko of that old American movie, "E.T." where the alien hid in the child's closet amongst the stuffed toys. Apparently, Misaki had seen that film too and while not original, it had been an effective ploy in the past.

"Mi-sa-ki… Here… Ki-ki-ki, come on now, Kitten, your rabbit needs a refill."

Akihiko stepped into the room and turned on the light, a thousand adorable faces and glassy eyes stared back at him. If Misaki could stay still, his bunny would never find him.

However, today Akihiko had a secret weapon. He pulled it out of his shirt pocket, frowning. He knew it was terribly unsporting of him.

_But desperate times…_

Turning on the laser pen, Akihiko and flashed the red dot on the floor. He kept it there a moment and then began to slowly snake it around. He drew enticing butterfly circles, grass hopper jump jags.

In less than a minute Misaki pounced and seconds after that, so did Akihiko.

"Usagi-san, you dumb bunny, get off me!" Misaki mewled, trapped under his master's weight. His fuzzy ears were pinned back and his tail tried wildly to whip about.

"Ah, Misaki, you should know by now the particular characteristics of rabbits. One trait especially." Akihiko whispered into Misaki's ear as his cool large hands trapped the little male's arms, flipping him over onto his back and pulling the kitten's paws over its head.

When he was furious like this was when Misaki most reminded Akihiko of Hiroki.

_"Is that wrong?"_ The question only stayed in Akihiko's mind for a moment.

"No more, Usagi-san, you big pervert! No more licking, no more sucking, and definitely no more….Ummmph." Misaki's protests were cut off by Akihiko's crushing kiss.

Akihiko was able to pin both his pet's slender wrists beneath his big hand. The other he used to slide Misaki's shirt up. He stroked a silky belly, and rubbed Misaki's chest. Beneath his hand. Misaki's back arched in wanton pleasure. Under his mouth, their kiss began to vibrate with the neko's purr.

Akihiko broke the kiss, and nipped instead along the chocolate kitten's jaw, down Misaki's slender neck.

"Usagi-san….." Misaki's protests were growing weaker. That was, until he heard his zipper go and felt Akihiko's hand slide his pants down off his slender hips. The author licked and bit his way down his neko's trim torso.

This renewed Misaki's vigor.

"NO! Usagi-san… let me go…dairy's closed!" His tail snaked around and curled up over his groin, forming a thin furry barricade to his privates. A tiny growl sparked in the back of Misaki's throat.

Looking up, Akihiko saw Misaki was visibly spitting. It thrilled him. Akihiko was surprised to find himself wondering if Hiroki would have fought him if he'd encouraged the professor to do so.

"Milk does a bunny good." Akihiko purred. Sometimes he was more feline than Misaki. He added, "Save your spit, Misa-kitty, you're going to need it." At the threat/promise of his master's words, the huffy hybrid momentarily stilled and his cowed tail slid aside.

Akihiko looked down at his pet's lovely erect cock.

"Your body's so lewd, Misa-kitty, despite what you say." Akihiko released Misaki's hands and moved down, taking the entire length of his pet into his throat. One of his hands joined him there, grabbing Misaki at his base and stroking him in time with the movements of his mouth. His other hand reached down and gently teased the kitten's soft balls.

Misaki now had his paws tangled in his owner's thick mane.

"Oh…god…Usagi-san…Unnnnh… Please…. Please. I'm going to…

"Puuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

Akihiko could feel the vibrations of Misaki's ecstatic rumblings, all the way down into his neko's sweet cock. The hybrid arched his back and the purr gave way to a panted mewl as Misaki came.

Akihiko lifted his head, licking away any remaining traces of his Misaki milk mustache. He held one hand in front of gasping lips and wiggled his fingers. "Come on, Mi-chan, clean me."

Misaki's ears went flat again as he weakly pushed the hand away. "No more, Usagi-san… please." His thin tail punctuated this with a tired thump.

Akihiko shook his shaggy head. "You know that's not how it works, Kitten." He grinned and flicked his tongue out, wiggling it wickedly.

"Either you clean me, or I clean you…" With this he laved his tongue down Misaki's thin side. Then he licked up the hybrid's middle and latched on to one of Misaki's nipples.

The Takahashi was an ancient neko line and, unlike many newer breed standards, the breeders had worked hard to maintain the old breed characteristics. This meant that Misaki still sported the older, favored six nipples for males instead of the contemporary preference of two.

Akihiko loved this: so much more to tease and all so sensitive.

"No… No.. Please," Misaki whimpered. "Not so soon after, I can't take it."

"Then you know what to do." Akihiko offered his fingers to the chocolate kitten once more. Misaki's huge green eyes widened, but he took his owner's fingers into his mouth and began to lick and suck them, at first hesitantly and then hungrily.

"Good, Misa-kitty," Akihiko cooed and once his fingers were dripping with the neko's spit, he flipped Misaki over onto his stomach.

The uke neko finally gave into Akihiko's overwhelming seme energy and assumed the posture of submission: he lifted himself on to his knees, stretched out his arms in front of him, lowering his chest creating a delicious reversed arch, and raised his cute bottom into the air with his tail standing straight up.

"Such perfect confirmation, I should show you, Misaki. But I won't, because I don't want anyone looking at you but me." Akihiko breathed this into one of Misaki's ears, sending a shiver all the way down the neko's spine and clear to the tip of his tail. He latched his mouth over the back of Misaki's neck in an act of neko dominance, marking him as his mate.

This made the tender hybrid tremble. Then Misaki stiffened as he felt a slick finger enter him.

"Just breathe, Mi-chan," Akihiko encouraged; at the same time, he began to run his other cool hand over his kitten's heated torso. His fingers stopped and teased each of Misaki's pink buds.

The small kit-teen was soon making heat howls even though he wasn't in season. In response, Akihiko pulsed his finger slowly in and out began to slowly stretch him. His fingertip sought and found Misaki's pleasure point. He massaged this. The inflamed hybrid hissed when he felt his owner's finger abandon him.

Akihiko slipped back and undid his pants, his weeping erection rejoiced at being freed from the tight fabric.

Despite how embarrassed he felt, Misaki's hips were wiggling in anticipation; he just couldn't stop it. He felt Akihiko grab his hips and pull him back. The tip of the author's cock teased his entrance.

"Please… Usagi-san…" he panted in between breathy mews.

Slowly, Akihiko eased himself into his pet, until Misaki became so frustrated with the wait he actually pushed back into the stiff dick.

"Looks like my Misa-kitty is hungry for some milk of his own now, hmmmm, Misaki?" Akihiko could feel the increased heat of Misaki beneath him as the hybrid blushed. Then he pulled back a bit and slid fully in, drawing a sharp breath from Misaki.

Soon Akihiko was riding his pet with a powerful steady pace. He leaned over the young neko, reached around and grasped Misaki's revived member and had just started to stroke when his cell rang.

"Uunnnnnh, Usagi-san, what are you doing?" Misaki panted as his owner stopped momentarily to answer the phone.

"Hello? Yes, this is he… No, I can give you a minute… I'm moving some things around at the flat though, so if I sound a bit out of breath, please forgive me…"

Misaki started to protest, but Akihiko began moving again. The kitten clasped one of his hands over his mouth to stifle his moan.

"No, no… really I don't mind." Amazing breath control the man had. Akihiko continued, but he picked up his rhythms, grazing his kitten's prostate with each thrust.

Misaki bit his wrist to keep from crying out.

After what seemed like forever to Misaki, his rabbit owner finally climaxed silently, filling him with his milky seed.

Akihiko wrapped one of his long arms around the Takahashi kitten's waist and sat back without withdrawing, pulling Misaki onto his lap, impaling his pet there: he had not softened yet. He held the phone to his ear with one hand; while the other hand slipped over Misaki's stiff, dripping cock and resumed stroking.

By now a thin trickle of blood was dripping down the neko's arm, Misaki was biting it so hard.

Oblivious to this, Akihiko had been carrying on a polite conversation the entire time.

"No, no… thank you, that's all very interesting… Alright, I'll plan to see you tomorrow." Akihiko snapped the phone and dropped in and in one fluid motion also pulled Misaki's arm away from his mouth, just in time to hear the neko howl as he came.

Akihiko pulled the spent neko back against his broad chest. With one hand he smeared trails along Misaki's stomach in the kitten's cooling cum. With the other hand he took his pet's slender arm and licked the blood from Misaki's bitten wrist.

"Guess what, Misa-kitty," Akihiko whispered into his kitten's salty neck. "Good news! Hiroki may be coming home."

His chocolate kitten pressed closer against his chest, and Akihiko dropped and wrapped his arms tightly around the exhausted hybrid. Akihiko realized suddenly he couldn't discern if Misaki was nestling in or if his pet had just shuddered.

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><p><strong>Wow, I feel like I have been hemorrhaging words all day today. Four chapters...(a new record for me) Maybe I wont have any words left for tomorrow, but I am kind of getting into the story myself and so, feel anxious to get it down before it hides from me like a Misa-kitty.<strong>

**So that chapter was kind of long... hope you liked it.**

**Lovely whoever you are. Your long detailed reviews thrill me! (Okay, so I love the short ones too. Just happy to know that there's someone out there besides myself reading this story). As always, thank you for the reviews!**


	28. Research: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Research**

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><p>Nowaki was very upset, though he had not shown it, with the all the things Dean Takatsuki had told him. He had been acutely aware of how uncomfortable Hiroki had been when he'd seen Usami Akihiko's novel the other day. Now the neko's reaction made perfect sense. Nowaki was distressed that Hiroki had not told him the entire story.<p>

"Still…" Nowaki sighed. He supposed it was only natural that Hiro-san wouldn't have wanted his new owner to know. Running away was a very disgraceful behavior, and after eight years of being with the same person too.

_Besides, how long has Hiro-san known me?_

Only a few days really and despite all that they had been through and the fact that Nowaki had told the hybrid repeatedly that he loved him, could he really expect Hiro-san to trust him?

Nowaki wondered if Hiroki had loved his previous owner, Usami-san. _Maybe he had_. Then a more disturbing thought struck him. _Perhaps Hiro-san still did_. After all, Hiro-san hadn't really made any declarations of love, despite his own numerous confessions.

Rather than run errands as he had planned, once he left the Hall of Languages and Literature, Nowaki went to the University's library. He still had some time before work. There, he got on to one of the campus computers and started doing a bit of research on Usami Akihiko. Nowaki was shocked to learn about how famous the author was and how wealthy too. The Usami pedigree far outweighed anything he, as an orphan, might be able to offer Hiro-san.

Twice in articles on the author Nowaki glimpsed Hiro-san in photographs that had been taken of Usami-san. One was a picture of the writer in his home. In the background of the man's spacious apartment, there on the sofa with his nose buried in a book was his (well, then Usami-san's) Hiro-san. Nowaki immediately recognized the feline's furrowed brow. In the picture, Hiroki looked tremendously cute: slightly younger and not at all battered.

The second picture was of Usami Akihiko at an awards event. Again Hiroki was off to the side in the background. The neko was wearing a very nice suit in this picture. His ears and tail looked so sleek and shiny. Nowaki smiled at how simultaneously handsome and adorable the catman appeared. His smile slipped, however, when he looked closely at the hybrid's face. Hiroki was looking over at Usami and the expression he wore was one of obvious affection.

_So Hiro-san had loved Usami-san… Maybe still did._

This realization brought bitter tears to Nowaki's eyes. He supposed it was foolish to think that in twenty-six years Hiro-san would never have given his heart to anyone else, despite the fact that at twenty-two, this was exactly his own case. Nowaki also knew that regardless of this new knowledge, there was no one else he would ever love more than Hiro-san, for the rest of his life, whatever its duration.

This was doubly painful to Nowaki now, as he truly was an honorable man. He had to accept the fact that, if what the Dean had told him was true, the Kamijou cat had run away. In Nowaki's mind, this meant that despite the current neko law and the fact he'd paid Tsumori for the hybrid, Hiroki still really belonged to someone else.

It might have been different for him if Usami-san had never tried to contact Tsumori. If it had seemed at all that the author was disinterested in his ownership of Hiro-san or that he couldn't be bothered to look for the neko Nowaki would not have questioned Hiroki's presence in his life. But the man had notified the authorities when Hiroki had disappeared and according to the Dean, he had made an attempt to get his Kamijou cat back. He had even cajoled the Dean into letting Hiroki keep his promotion and had taken pains to see that his pet, despite the betrayal of running away had not been disgraced.

_Why did Hiro-san leave? Was it a lover's quarrel? Some unfortunate event that lead to Hiro-san's recent tragic past?_

Nowaki knew, despite how much it pained him, he couldn't, in good conscience, keep Hiroki now unless he knew that Usami-san had done something truly terrible to Hiro-san.

Using the Internet, Nowaki found the name of the novelist's publishing house, since the man's number was unlisted. After a bit of a run around he found himself speaking with the author's editor, an energetic but flustered woman named Aikawa.

The editor dealt with Nowaki very cautiously at first, she was used to dealing with the Usami-sensei's crazed fans, until Nowaki explained the reason for his call. Then she became suddenly solicitous.

"Oh, my, Usami-sensei will be so excited. He's been just a disaster without that Kamijou cat. I have to tell you, I hope you will consider selling him back. If Sensei buys Kamijou-kun back from you it will just make my job all that much easier.

"Kamijou-kun, he hated it when I called him that, by the way, but he did such an excellent job of proofing Usami-sensei's manuscripts. That hybrid is a hell of an editor.

"If Sensei doesn't try and buy him, sometimes that damn man is as proud as that neko, give me a call. I might buy him from you and give him back to Usami-sensei myself. That new neko he has is very sweet, but he isn't as effective at getting Sensei to get things in on time yet as Kamijou-kun was."

Nowaki's heart leapt momentarily. "You say he has a new neko?"

"Oh, yes, but don't worry about that," Aikawa said, misinterpreting Nowaki's question. "Though he would probably kill me if he knew I was saying this, Misaki-chan is really more of a sex kitten for Usami-sensei, I think. A good inspiration for his _Neko Love_ novels, but nothing that would replace Kamijou-kun in his life. Anyway, here's his cell number. I really hope things work out"

"Oh, I see," Nowaki, said sadly. "Yes, I hope things work out too."

After talking with Aikawa, it was apparent that there were others who felt Hiro-san needed to go back to Usami Akihiko too.

Nowaki took a deep breath and called the author.

He was startled by the deep silky purr of the voice that answered the phone. Nowaki's seme senses immediately bristled at the cool confidence in the man's tone. Despite this, Usami-san sounded nice enough: polite, if a bit distracted. The author certainly had seemed to perk up however when Nowaki told him that he had Hiroki and wondered if the three of them could meet. Their conversation was relatively brief, but for Nowaki, it seemed to go on forever.

Nowaki's hand trembled as he hung up the phone. The young man suddenly doubted himself. Did he really know what he was doing, contacting Hiro-san's old master? His sense of honor told him it was the right thing, but within Nowaki's broad chest, his big heart was breaking.

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**I hope to hit two hundred reviews by chapter thirty… That's two chapters away… Can't do it with out you.**

**Kirakrz- so glad to have you back! You too- La PetiteTomate!**

**Lazy Kittty Hyuu- as always love your enthusiasm! And I'm definitely thinking about your wink and nudge. Hmmmm.**

**Nekolove - Keep those long reviews coming, I love them.**

**X - I can't tell you how pleased I am that you liked the "warring cylinders" line. It was one of my favorites.**

**Nelly Sempai, Nadia Yagari, Midoritenchi90, Madame Masquerade 64, lillemmi, Liz- thank you so much for joining in on the conversation!**

**So pleased with everyone who's been getting a bit creeped out and I am so happy with the positive response to the dark Akihiko. I was a bit nervous, but so love writing him this way. Let the drama commence…..**


	29. Bite: Egoist, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Twenty Nine: Bite**

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><p>Hiroki's first day with Miyagi had been going relatively well despite its bit of an uncomfortable start.<p>

Hiroki had been miffed at first, that the noir neko had mentioned Akihiko in front of Nowaki. It wasn't like he hadn't planned on telling his new owner, he just hadn't been ready to yet.

He'd wished he'd had a chance to say something to Nowaki before the tall man had left with the Dean, though the thought of that conversation made his stomach ache. Soon however, teaching his classes and assisting the tenured professor were keeping Hiroki so busy the hybrid really didn't have time to dwell on this or on how he was going to bring the topic up again later with Nowaki.

It did not take very long working with the emancipated older neko for Hiroki to quickly ascertain that Miyagi liked to tease. While this was not something that the Kamijou cat usually tolerated, he decided he was willing to endure it if it meant he got to stay in Miyagi's office and out of having to work in the neko lounge. After what had happened with Tsumori last Friday, there was no way he ever wanted to show his face in there again.

Miyagi, for his part, soon discovered that Hiroki was even easier to fluster than he'd originally thought. The cinnamon neko's quick blush looked quite nice on the younger professor's pale academic cheeks.

Also, the ferocity with which Hiroki attacked every task Miyagi gave him both amused and pleased the jaded tom. Miyagi found himself thinking he could easily like the passionate russet-eyed puss quite a lot. (Though he'd been married to a human woman, the noir neko was a creature of numerous predilections.)

Hiroki had finished with his classes for the day and was enjoying sitting at his new desk, grading his students' work while he waited for Nowaki to come pick him up and take him to the vet's. Hiroki was not thrilled about having to go there: veterinarians made him terribly nervous.

While he was working, Miyagi stepped up behind the younger neko and looked over Hiroki's shoulder at what the other hybrid was doing. "Oi, Kamijou," he joked when he saw all of Hiroki's violent violet marks. If you don't stop soon that whole page is going to be purple."

Hiroki turned his head and looked up at the older professor; his ears flattened sideways in frustration at his pupils' stupidity. "Well, if my students had more sense than a kitten, I wouldn't have to make so many corrections."

Miyagi laughed, he liked the catman's conviction. "May I ask why a purple pen and not red?"

Hiroki's forehead wrinkled a bit. He'd only ever used a red pen on Akihiko's manuscripts. "I've always wanted to use a red pen on my student's work… but don't you think that's a bit strident for a neko?"

"Not at all," the big cat purred leaning in a little closer, "Besides, you might find it quite liberating and after all you are still their professor. Why don't you try it? Here, you can borrow one of mine." Miyagi leaned in and plucked the purple pen from Hiroki's fingers and replaced it with a red one that he took from his breast pocket. He let his big paw linger over the assistant professor's.

Hiroki, at first, did not really notice the older hybrid's gesture. He was too excited about making his first red mark on one of his pupil's papers. He pulled an ungraded essay out of the pile and set in on top of the one he'd been reading. His tail twitched with excitement. Then suddenly, Hiroki noticed that Miyagi was standing so close he could feel the breeze caused by the noir neko's prodigious plume of a tail.

Miyagi leaned down a bit further; his smoky breath tickled the inside of one of Hiroki's ears, making it twitch. "Your ears are so shiny, Ka-mi-jou, tell me, do you use some special product?"

Now Hiroki knew that he should be respectful to his new supervisor, but he was also aware that the older tom was testing him. They were entering a dance of neko dominance and he did not want to just rollover and show the older hybrid his belly. (Though this is a dog analogy, it was certainly applicable).

Besides, he belonged to Nowaki now and despite Hiroki's shyness about making any overt declarations to his new person, the young professor's heart was deeply engaged. Hiroki was not going to allow anything that might threaten his new, budding love.

"Yes," said Hiroki, suddenly all too aware of the older tom's claustrophobic presence behind him. He did not yell but his tone was definitely growlly. "It's called _Back the Hell Up_!"

"Hmmmmm, I'm not familiar with that one." Miyagi smiled. He really did like the spirit of his new junior. He pushed his broad chest up against the back of Hiroki's shoulders, pinning the younger hybrid against the desk.

"How about my conditioner then?" Hiroki said hotly, trying to squirm out from under the Miyagi, "_Sexual Harassment Charges_."

"Ka-mi-jou, my sweet honey, you sound so fierce!" Miyagi practically purred the words into Hiroki's wildly twitching ear.

Then a soft growl was heard was heard by both professors. "Was that you, Kamijou?" Miyagi asked, his voice suddenly less assured.

"No" Hiroki said.

The two nekos looked up and over at the door that had silently opened. A small scowling caramel-haired kit stood in the doorway.

"Ah, Shinobu-chin, how nice to see you again," Miyagi offered the furious kitten one of his winning smiles as he slowly straightened. "I was just helping Kamijou-kun here with some of his student's work… um, where's your foster father, the Dean?"

The kitten just stared at Miyagi, a thunderstorm raged within the depths of his dark grey eyes.

The big tom couldn't help himself, he actually flinched. _"What was it with this kid?"_

Just then the Dean appeared carrying a small overnight bag for the kitten. "Shinobu, what have I told you about running ahead? You were moving so quickly it was almost as though you couldn't wait to get here."

The Dean broke into a wide grin as he walked over towards Miyagi. "Ah, Miyagi-kun, I trust that everything with you and Kamijou-kun has been going well today. I can't thank you enough for taking Shinobu-chan in for us. Here's his bag and a list of instructions and other notes that might be helpful for you." The Dean pulled out a rolled piece of paper almost as long as Miyagi's arm.

"All that for a kitten?" Miyagi said looking at the list. For the first time that day the big neko's tail lost a bit of its swagger.

"Ummmm, well yes, but I am sure you will do just fine." The Dean turned to Shinobu, "Now be a good kitty, Shinobu-chan." He tried to ruff the kit's head, but Shinobu ducked away from him.

The caramel cat stomped over to the small couch that was in the office and plopped down. He crossed his arms over his chest; his tail tapped out a Morse code of displeasure; his gaze never leaving Miyagi.

The Dean looked from Shinobu to Miyagi and then smiled nervously at the big cat. "Ah, see that… Shinobu has settled in already. I'm sure you two are going to have a splendid time... umm, who knows Miyagi-kun, by the end of your visit together, you might find you two get along so well that you won't want to give him back," the Dean joked nervously.

"Not likely," the big tom said gruffly. Looking over at the small neko seated on the couch Miyagi suddenly felt bad. At his words the Takatsuki kitten's face had suddenly lost its scrunched up appearance and an expression of deep sadness had taken its place, the wee neko's thin tail had become silent.

Miyagi walked the Dean to the door and then turned back into the office. He grew slightly uncomfortable seeing that neither of the two younger nekos seemed to be very happy with him at the moment.

"Oi, Kamijou, I need to have some copies made and, Shinobu, you might as well make yourself useful. You can put the pages together into packets, like the ones I have already started here. See how it's done." Miyagi hoped this task would help to dispel the tension in the room.

The kitten had gotten up off the couch; its peevish expression recovered. Shinobu looked down at the assembly line of materials.

"Do you think you can manage that, Shinobu-chin?" Miyagi asked.

"What do you think, Miyagi-san? That I'm some sort of a cabbage head? Of course I can manage it!" The tiny hybrid huffed. The noir neko was a bit taken aback by the kitten's sudden fierceness. Though he would never admit it, Miyagi suddenly found himself thinking Shinobu was quite cute, even in his disrespect.

Hiroki went over to the small copy machine that was in the office. He checked the paper drawers before starting (he was thorough like that). "I think we're going to need some more paper in order to get through this job, Professor Miyagi."

"Good… uh, I mean, I'll go get it, you two stay here and get things going in the meantime." Miyagi head towards the office door wanting to make immediate use of this fortuitous opportunity for exit: things were just a bit too intense in the room at the moment for him to want to stay.

He left the room leaving Shinobu and Hiroki together alone.

Hiroki turned to the machine and began to make the requested copies.

Shinobu looked at the papers, and then he looked at Hiroki. The longer he stared at the young professor, the darker the smaller cat's expression became. The caramel kitten's ears went slowly back and his tail began to vibrate. A low growl built in Shinobu's throat.

Unfortunately Hiroki couldn't hear it over the noise of the copy machine. The neko professor was completely taken by surprise then, when the small caramel cat pounced.

Shinobu jumped on the professor's back and hissed in Hiroki's ear, "Stay away from my boyfriend!" Before Hiroki could ask the crazy kitten what in the hell it was taking about, Shinobu bit him.

"Yahhhhhhhhhh! Owwwwww!" Hiroki gasped and tried to pull the smaller ferocious feline off of him, but Shinobu had latched on good. Tears of pain sprung into Hiroki's eyes. As if it wasn't bad enough that Shinobu still had a number of his needle sharp baby teeth (nekos didn't usually get all their adult teeth in until they were about twenty) he had chosen to attack Hiroki's already injured ear.

"God damn it, get off me, you stupid brat!" Hiroki shouted. "Yeeeeoooooow! Let go of my fucking ear!"

The two hybrids tumbled to the floor, knocking over the low table that had all of the packets that Miyagi had been preparing on it. These flew into the air and the room was suddenly filled with a flurry of white.

Hiroki finally managed to pry Shinobu off of him after the two had rolled around on the floor a bit.

The nekos were in a standoff, each was now crouched on all fours on the floor. Both were panting heavily, their thin sides heaving. Facing each other, the two began move in tandem, circling slowly, ears flat, tails twitching.

Hiroki noticed that blood from his newly bitten ear was dripping on the scattered papers below him. _"Great,"_ he thought, _"those will have to be copied all over again."_

He looked up at the small clearly insane neko opposite him. Hiroki stopped circling, though his ear hurt like hell and their tumble had awoken a number of his other aches, he really didn't want to fight with the other hybrid. He was an adult after all and a professor and this crawling around on the floor was hardly dignified.

Hiroki stood up, wincing. He began to dust himself off. "Look, brat, I don't get into fights with kittens. It's just not right." As he said this he flushed, remembering his attack on Akihiko's Takahashi.

Shinobu remained on the floor, his huge gray eyes scowled up at Hiroki. All the hair on his tiny tail was fluffed so that it looked like a honey colored bottle-brush. "Are you sure it's not more because you're afraid you'll lose?" The small neko growled. "It's obvious from how beat up you are that you're not much of a fighter."

Hiroki's eyes narrowed as he stared down at Shinobu. Making such observations about his appearance,whether accurate or not, were rude and uncalled for.

"I know all about you, Kamijou," Shinobu hissed. "I read your file that was on my foster owner's desk. I'll tell Miyagi that you ran away and ended up at a stray auction. How do you think that will make him feel about you? Miyagi is mine… It's fate!" Shinobu was so mad that he spit as he said this.

Hiroki was greatly dismayed. On the one hand he thought that as an adult and a neko of the world that Miyagi would certainly understand that he'd only done what he'd felt he had to, given the situation he was in. And Hiroki certainly felt that he had more than paid for his crime during his time with Tsumori. Still one never knew how such information might be taken. What was more, he really didn't like being threatened by this uppity pipsqueak.

Hiroki started growling himself. "I can offer you another fate right now that will be far less pleasant than the one you've envisioned, you blackmailing brat!"

Shinobu's eyes widened as Hiroki dove towards him. The kitten darted to the side and Hiroki just missed him, sliding into the couch. The two nekos whirled around the room madly, knocking over piles of books, causing scrolls to fall from their shelves, scattering more piles of paper.

* * *

><p>Out in the hall, Miyagi was coming back, his arms loaded with reams of copy paper. As he neared his office he saw the Dean headed towards him coming down from the opposite end of the hall.<p>

"Ah, Miyagi-kun, I forgot to give you Shinobu's pills, I had them in my pocket." The Dean hurried towards the noir neko. A pill bottle clenched is his outstretched hand.

The two met just outside the office door.

"Here, let me get this for you, your hands are obviously full," Dean Takatsuki said as he reached for the door.

"What in the hell?" Miyagi exclaimed as he heard the crashes and yowls suddenly emanating from behind it.

"Oh my!" gasped the Dean as he pushed open the door.

Hiroki had just finally caught Shinobu. He'd tackled the kitten around the middle, bringing them both crashing to the floor. Shinobu was furiously wriggling, trying to escape the incensed professor's grasp.

"Let go of me, you boyfriend stealing bastard!" The Takatsuki cat cried. "Let go! Let go!"

It was at that moment that Miyagi and the Dean both stumbled through the door and into the office.

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<br>Thanks, all, for the tremendous reviews. You really don't know how helpful your comments and encouragement are. I love the long reviews so much so special thanks to you- you know who you are. So just a few more to make 200, but let's not stop there okay... Drama, Drama, Drama, full speed ahead!**


	30. Hand: Egoist, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Thirty: Hand**

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><p>"Let go! Let go!" Shinobu was yowling.<p>

Hiroki looked up and saw an astonished Miyagi and a horrified Dean Takatsuki standing in the door. He immediately released Shinobu, who tore off in the direction of the two older males. The Dean opened his arms to embrace the obviously traumatized youngster and was shocked when Shinobu bypassed him completely and leapt onto Miyagi, knocking the reams of copy paper out of Miyagi's hands and on to the floor, adding to the already substantial mess.

"He attacked me!" Shinobu cried hysterically into Miyagi's neck. "He's a demon! Pluh…pluh…please don't let him hurt me anymore!" The small neko hiccuped in-between sobs.

Hiroki hung his head in shame, his cheeks so hot they could have blistered. He looked up again wanting to explain what had happened only to see that Nowaki had also chosen this precise moment to show up at the door to collect him.

Nowaki's eyes grew huge as he took in the chaos of Miyagi's office. He looked at Hiroki, sitting disheveled and bleeding on the floor and the sobbing Shinobu in Miyagi's arms. He sighed and his shoulders slumped just slightly.

Hiroki saw this response and suddenly wished that Nowaki had started yelling instead. It would have hurt his pride less.

Dean Takatsuki looked between the two hybrids, his face angry and thoughtful at the same time. Then he looked between Hiroki and Nowaki. He shook his head. "Kusama-san, we talked about this, this morning."

Nowaki nodded soberly.

"Kamijou, I am very disappointed in you."

"But…" Hiroki still wanted to explain.

Then he realized, explain what? _That Miyagi had been being inappropriate? That Dean Takatsuki's foster brat is obviously unbalanced and has a thing for the old tom? That Shinobu threatened to blackmail me? Who would believe that? Nowaki? The Dean?_

If he had been in the Dean's position, he wouldn't have. It would have appeared to him like a desperate attempt to save his own ass by maligning others. And the truth was he _had_ chased after the small caramel kitten and tackled him and he _was_ the adult. He _knew _better, for fuck's sake!

"I am currently late for a very important meeting. Otherwise, I would deal with this now, but as it is, I will expect to see you at 8:00am in my office on Monday." Dean Takatsuki's voice was very stern.

"You will come in and help Miyagi-sensei restore his office, but other than that, you will consider yourself suspended until our meeting. You will cancel your classes, but only after you apologize to your students personally for allowing your unacceptable behavior to negatively impact their educational experience. Do you understand, Kamijou?"

Hiroki's ears were completely flat, his tail listless with shame.

"Yes, Dean Takatsuki," he said softly.

"Good." The Dean put the pill bottle he'd been holding on to the nearest bookshelf as Miyagi's hands were obviously full of Shinobu at the moment. The little neko seemed to have calmed down considerably in the older hybrid's arms and the human Takatsuki did not wish to get Shinobu stirred up again.

"Miyagi-kun, please don't forget to give these pills to Shinobu. They're very important. It's critical that he takes one every morning."

Miyagi nodded around the neko in his arms and watched the Dean carefully pick his way back over to the office entrance. There he looked at Nowaki. "I'd heard a rumor that Kamijou was seen in the halls last week on a leash…"

Nowaki interrupted the Dean, "Takatsuki-san, I don't believe in leashes." His voice was grave, his face serious.

Dean Takatsuki moved past him and as he was stepping into the hall, he said stiffly to Nowaki, "Well, given this recent behavior, I think you'd be wise to reconsider that stance." He trundled importantly off down the hall.

Hiroki just sat there. He didn't know when he had ever been more humiliated. Even all the things that he'd been through with Tsumori seemed somehow milder compared to this. He watched as Nowaki helped Miyagi pry Shinobu off.

"Come on now, Takatsuki-chan" Nowaki soothed the sniffling kitten, "Let me take a look at you. I am a medical professional after all."

Shinobu allowed Nowaki to give him a cursory going over, though he held on to one of Miyagi's big paws the entire time.

Miyagi looked over thoughtfully at Hiroki, who quickly averted his eyes from his gaze. The old tom's face wore a look of sad confusion. Then he looked back at Nowaki who had just finished Shinobu's exam.

Nowaki ruffled the caramel kit's fight-tousled hair. He looked at Miyagi. "He seems to be okay. I couldn't even really find as much as a scratch on him."

When Nowaki said this, Miyagi looked down at Shinobu, who had now turned and was clinging to his waist, encircling him with thin arms. "Really?" he frowned and looked over at Hiroki. Then he looked to Nowaki again. "Well, that's quite lucky isn't it?"

Nowaki offered the huge hybrid a sad smile. Then he looked over at Hiroki who hadn't moved much since he'd entered the room. "Come on, Hiro-san, we need to get you to the vet." His voice was solemn.

Hiroki didn't say anything. He just got up and padded over to Nowaki, keeping his eyes down on the floor. He tried not to flinch as Nowaki raised a gentle hand to touch Hiroki's much abused ear. "Oh, Hiro-san, I think you are probably going to need stitches; that is a very nasty tear."

Hiroki merely nodded.

Nowaki looked very distraught. "I'm very sorry, Hiro-san, but since I don't have a leash, after what the Dean said, I'm going to ask you to hold my hand, okay?" Nowaki said this apologetically as he dropped his hand from Hiroki's ear and took up the neko's limp paw. His heart broke as he saw Hiroki's cinnamon head dip even lower.

Nowaki looked at Miyagi. "Hiro-, I mean, Kamijou-sensei will be back tomorrow to help you clean up, Miyagi-san."

"Ah, Kamijou-kun, I uh… look forward to seeing you then," Miyagi's voice was a bit gravelly as he said this.

Hiroki bowed low in return to his senior's words but remained silent.

"Come on, Hiro-san," Nowaki said gently and led the disgraced hybrid out of the office and into the hall. Hiroki took one last look back at the office. Miyagi was standing with his back to the door surveying the disaster. Then Hiroki saw Shinobu peering at him around the side of Miyagi's waist, peeking out from under the protection of one of the noir neko's long arms. Shinobu frowned and stuck his tongue out at Hiroki.

Hiroki turned away quickly.

He'd hesitated a bit looking back and felt Nowaki give him a gentle but firm tug forward. Hiroki stumbled slightly after his owner, humiliated that he'd put both himself and Nowaki in such a poor light in front of his superiors.

Nowaki stopped and put his other big hand on his shoulder, pulling Hiroki in towards him and guiding him along.

Hiroki watched the ground pass beneath his feet as they left the campus. He bit his lower lip so hard it bled, but no matter how low his pride had been brought, he wasn't about to let a kitten make him cry.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading and reviewing.<strong>


	31. Spank: Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Thirty-One: Spank**

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><p>Miyagi looked at the mess in his office and sighed. Then he looked down at Shinobu clinging to his waist.<p>

Shinobu looked up at him with his huge dark gray eyes. His delicate cheeks still stained from his earlier tears. _"This little neko is a heart breaker, no doubt about that,"_ Miyagi thought. The old tom sighed again. "Well, Shinobu-chin, I really don't feel like dealing with this today. How about we go home?"

Shinobu's big eyes widened and he nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay, get your bag and let's go."

Shinobu grabbed the overnight bag Dean Takatsuki had brought for him and followed Miyagi out the door. The kitten took the noir neko's big paw as soon as they were out in the hall. Miyagi tried to pull away but Shinobu held tight. For such a wee thing, Miyagi realized Shinobu was actually quite strong.

Both hybrids had been so caught up in the recent events and the Kamijou cat's departure, they completely forgot about the pills the Dean had left for Shinobu. The small bottle sat abandoned on the bookshelf in Miyagi's dark office.

When the odd couple finally arrived at Miyagi's apartment, the professor showed his young house guest around. Shinobu explored each room with great curiosity. The small hybrid's dark blond ears twitched forwards and back as he took everything in, his golden tail flipped about with excitement. It made Miyagi uncomfortable, how intently the kitten scrutinized everything. Besides, it had been quite a while since the older neko had invited anyone into his space.

Shinobu looked around. He was surprised at how clean Miyagi's house was given the state of the professor's office, (even before his fight with Hiroki). The kitten sniffed with approval. Yes, this might indeed be acceptable.

Shinobu was not particularly happy however when Miyagi told him that he would be sleeping in the guest room.

Noting the scowl of displeasure on Shinobu's face, Miyagi said, "Or you can sleep on the couch, brat, either way, it doesn't really matter to me."

Shinobu looked at Miyagi and crossed his thin arms over his chest. "I want to sleep with you, Miyagi-san."

"What?... Oh, hell no!"

Shinobu scowled fiercely. He stamped a small foot. "It's fate, Miyagi-san! We're destined to be together!"

"What are you talking about, kid?" Miyagi walked over to his couch and sat down taking special care to not crush his magnificent tail. This had been the craziest day, first the fight and now this.

The old tom was feeling very guilty about what had happened that afternoon, though why exactly he wasn't quite sure, but he had felt very badly for poor Kamijou.

Shinobu pulled Miyagi out of these thoughts abruptly, however, by crawling up onto the couch and straddling his lap. "Shinobu, just what do you think you're doing?" Miyagi squirmed uncomfortably under Shinobu's light weight.

"I want you to take responsibility, Miyagi-san," Shinobu purred.

"For what?" Miyagi's ears went back as he tried to push the smaller neko out of his lap. (Right then the older professor thought he could have used a good dose of Kamijou's "Back the Hell Up.")

"Because I love you!" The caramel kitten shouted.

"How could you love me? You don't even know me," Miyagi asked incredulously, shocked by Shinobu's declaration.

Shinobu's eyes grew large and began to glisten. His pouty bottom lip began to quiver. "What do you mean?" He asked. His voice was suddenly very small and shaky. "Don't you remember?"

Miyagi cocked his head to the side, his shaggy ears twitched forward.

Tears started rolling down the blond neko's cheeks and then suddenly the kitten's face scrunched up. Just when Miyagi was sure the little cat was about to start wailing, Shinobu surprised him by suddenly sitting back and regarding him quite suspiciously. "It's because of that damn demon cat, isn't it?" Shinobu growled.

Miyagi looked startled. He tipped his head to the other side and looked at Shinobu questioningly.

"Don't play stupid with me, old man!" The kitten hissed. "I saw you all pressed up against him in your office, being all lovey dovey!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Shinobu-chin! I was just teasing him. That Kamijou cat has a seme already. One who is obviously _very _attached, I might add."

Then suddenly a few things that had been bothering Miyagi about the fight started to make sense. "Oi, Shinobu," Miyagi said, his dark eyes narrowing, "You said Kamijou attacked you. Why do you suppose that was?"

Shinobu slid off of Miyagi's lap. His tail switched back and forth in an agitated manner. "How the hell should I know, Miyagi-san. That Kamijou demon is crazy. I think he just hates kittens."

Miyagi had been working with youngsters long enough to have become quite adept at determining when one was lying to him. "Ummmhmmmm, you know, Shinobu, I am also just a bit curious, as I am thinking now, as to why it is that you didn't have any scratches and yet Kamijou's ear was so badly torn."

The big neko watched as the small hybrid's face turned deep red. Shinobu didn't say anything but his tail had suddenly become spasmodic.

Then without warning, Shinobu shouted, "It was self-defense! That dumb neko got what he deserved. Besides, you belong to me!"

At this declaration Miyagi's handsome face suddenly became dark and dangerous. The big tom growled, and grabbed the smaller male. The shocked Shinobu kitten unexpectedly found himself on the noir neko's lap again. Only this time, he was draped over Miyagi's knee.

"What in the hell are you doing, Miyagi!" Shinobu howled as he felt his britches roughly pulled down. His tail was yanked out of the hole in his pants and he could feel the cool air of the apartment on his bare bottom. He began to wriggle vigorously, but Miyagi had him pinned.

"I think you are lying, Shinobu." Miyagi punctuated his suspicion with a hard smack to the furious kitten's bare backside. "And what's more, let me make this perfectly clear," the black tom was practically snarling, "I don't belong to anyone but myself!" This statement was underscored by a series of additional smacks.

"OOOOWWWWWW! You're hurting me, you old ass! Stop it!" Shinobu squealed. But Miyagi had no mercy.

"Do you even have any idea of how hard it is for a neko to become a professor, Brat?" Miyagi asked coldly, delivering another succession of slaps to the kitten's bare backside.

Shinobu yowled and tried again to squirm away from the blows but Miyagi just tightened his grip.

"I'm going to keep going here until you tell me the truth, Shinobu," the big cat promised. Another series of spanks was delivered. Miyagi noticed that the small puss's pert posterior had taken on a dark rosy glow. It made him a bit uncomfortable to realize he rather liked the look of it.

Miyagi's other strong arm had been holding down Shinobu's slim tail, but this part of the wee kit at last managed to escape from under his grasp. It began whipping around wildly and then curled over his rapidly bruising bottom trying to ward off anymore abuse.

"Unless you want your tail broken, Shinobu, I suggest you move it," Miyagi warned. He heard the kitten whimper and watched as Shinobu's tail uncurled and slipped obediently off to the side. "Are you ready to tell me the truth?" He asked, not unkindly.

"Fuck off!" Shinobu yelled in defiance, his previous humbled tail fluffed and began whipping about again. His lean legs started kicking.

Miyagi sighed, "Oi, Shinobu, now I just have to add more punishment for using such foul language. What a crass kitten you are." He resumed his rhythm, smacking first one tender cheek and then the other.

Under his hand, Shinobu was biting his lip, to keep from crying out, but his bottom was getting really sore now. And something else even more painful had happened. For some reason, his privates had become quite hard, and having this stiffness pressed into the older cat's legs was very uncomfortable. Finally, the combined sensations became too great and Shinobu began to sob.

"Are you ready to tell the truth?" Miyagi asked once more. When the kitten said nothing, he gave one more stout spank to the crying neko's quivering backside.

"I did it!" Shinobu confessed at last. "I attacked Kamijou first... I bit his ear… He said he didn't want to fight me… but I was so jealous that you liked him… so I threatened him until he chased me…" Shinobu choked out between sobs.

Miyagi lowered his hand. He pulled the caramel kitten up and sat him on the couch next to him. Shinobu gasped and started crying harder as the soft cushion made contact with his burning bottom.

"What could you possibly have threatened him with to make him chase you like that?" Miyagi asked.

Shinobu hung his head and whispered. "My foster owner, Takatsuki-san, left the Kamijou cat's file out on his desk. I read it and told him I would tell you he had been a runaway."

At the word _runaway_, a vague recollection sparked in Miyagi's mind, but he pushed this to the side. "Shinobu, reading his personal file is a most disgraceful behavior. Not to mention with what you led the Dean to believe. You did a terrible thing to Kamijou-sensei today."

The small neko's ears flattened completely and his face flushed with shame. Shinobu sniffled miserably. "And what's more, all this talk of fate…" Miyagi lifted Shinobu's chin and looked into the young cat's deep gray eyes. "Fate isn't something you can manipulate; fate is just something that happens. It is very wrong to try and force it by your own paws."

Shinobu's head dropped even further. He put his head in his hands and began to sob anew, even harder than before.

Even though Miyagi was still very upset with the kitten, seeing Shinobu's thin shoulders shake and hearing him cry like his heart was truly breaking, moved something in him. Against his better judgment Miyagi leaned over and carefully pulled Shinobu onto his lap. "You know you have to fix this now, don't you, Shinobu-chin. I can't allow you to hurt Kamijou-sensei any more than you already have."

The hysterical hybrid buried his wet face into Miyagi's neck. But he nodded.

As Shinobu's trousers were still down around his knees, Miyagi unconsciously swept his big tail around and curled it modestly over Shinobu's skinny bare thighs. It was in doing this that he discovered the wee kit's still significant arousal. He'd been so intent on Shinobu's punishment he hadn't noticed this side-effect of his actions on the younger male.

"What's this?" Miyagi said, shocked as he brushed against Shinobu's stiff cock.

"You hit me too hard… you broke me, Miyagi," the caramel kitten hiccupped. Shinobu lifted the old tom's thick tail revealing his erection.

"Ummm… That's not broken, Shinobu," Miyagi said uncomfortably, looking away. He began trying to slide the kitten off of his lap (He was suddenly worried he might otherwise soon end up "broken" himself).

"It's not?" Shinobu sniffed, wiping a tear from one of his huge gray eyes and looking up at Miyagi. "Can we fix it?"

"Well… you can certainly fix it." Miyagi got up quickly, depositing Shinobu rather abruptly back on the sofa, the kitten winced at the jolt.

"How?" Shinobu asked through his tears.

"Ah… Has this never happened to you before, Brat?" Miyagi was skeptical. He scratched his lynx ears nervously. What had he gotten himself into agreeing to look after this kid?

"No." Shinobu said, suddenly shy. He stared innocently up at Miyagi.

_"What the fuck?"_ Miyagi thought but he offered. "Ummm… well, if you wait, it should just go away eventually."

"But it hurts!" The kitten mewled and started crying again.

"Ahh… well… sometimes you can rub it and that will 'fix' it," Miyagi offered, aware that his cheeks were turning quite pink.

"Will you show me how?" Shinobu asked hopefully.

"Oh hell no!" Miyagi exclaimed. "I can't believe that you are that naive." Then seeing the kitten beginning sobbing again in his acute distress, the big tom got an idea. "Wait just a minute, Shinobu."

Shinobu wiped his eyes as he watched Miyagi leave the room. His blond ears twitched forward as he heard the water being run in the tub in the bathroom.

Before he knew what was happening, Miyagi came back, scooped him up quickly, carried him into the bathroom and sat him down, clothes and all into the tub he'd just filled with freezing water.

"MIIIIIYAGIIII!" Shinobu yowled the moment the frigid water hit his heated skin. "What are you doing to me?"

"Shush, Brat, this will make it go away and it will make your bottom feel better too." Miyagi held Shinobu down in the tub. "If you don't stop struggling, little kit, I am going to have to pull you out and punish you again," he warned.

Shinobu immediately stopped struggling.

When he was convinced that Shinobu would stay put, Miyagi stood up.

Shinobu looked up shivering and miserable.

"You stay right there until I come get you. You disobey me you will get double the spanking you just had…Understand? When I come back we'll get you out and dried off and you can make me dinner. Your foster father said you could cook, right?" Miyagi said gruffly.

Shinobu nodded, his ears drooped submissively.

Seeing the kitten in such a pitiful state made Miyagi want to swoop him up and hug the poor blond neko fiercely, but he held firm.

"How long do I have to stay in here?" Shinobu asked meekly, through chattering teeth.

"Until I say so," answered Miyagi taking a cigarette from his breast pocket and lighting up as he ambled his way to the door. He looked back over his shoulder at the cold bedraggled kitten as he stepped into the hall. "In the meantime this will offer you a chance to do some serious thinking. I think, Shinobu, right now you should spend less time dwelling on fate and more time considering karma."

Freezing, Shinobu wrapped his thin arms and his tail around his knees and scrunched up trying desperately to warm himself. He shook violently with the cold. His added tears did nothing to help warm the water as he waited for Miyagi to come back and tell him he could get out.

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><p><strong>New AN: <strong>

**My Flamingo Darling, Your review of Akihiko and Misaki's first chapter made me absolutely giddy.**

**Ashley Tangerine... I am loving your reviews. Good luck with your exams... here's a cookie for you.  
><strong>

**Zainy18- Can't wait to have you back. Safe travels, dear.  
><strong>

**And to all you new readers following the story, Thank you! Now drop me a line some time.**

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><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**X ( ) - Thank you so much for the amazing review for Chapter Twenty-nine. I love that you picked up on all those elements.**

**FreshPrinceLover- Thank you for joining the party! So glad you're loving the story and thanks for the great comments.**

**Reficular- as you can see from this chap. You read my mind.**

**Illemni. Madame Masquerade 64, Kirakrz, La Petite Tomate, fefe7777, liz, lastbloom, I.C.2014, midoritenchi90, ASTROZOMBIE8, MoonlighatDusk, Teabags, Melt… Thank you so much for the comments and feedback. I was overwhelmed by the response to the last chapter. Hope you enjoyed this one as much.**


	32. Vet: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Vet**

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><p>Nowaki opened the door to his apartment somewhat awkwardly. He was holding a sedated Hiro-san in his arms. This was the second time in the few days he'd known the neko that he'd ended up carrying the hybrid to his home. He didn't mind doing this; in fact he loved the feel of the cinnamon catman in his arms. To him it felt as though Hiro-san fit perfectly there.<p>

Nowaki thought about their upcoming meeting with Usami-sensei the next day and his chest suddenly felt tight. He ignored the painful sensation and moved with Hiroki into the bedroom and carefully placed the sleepy neko on the bed.

"Cold," Hiroki mumbled as soon as he lost the heat of Nowaki's body. Nowaki pulled the covers over Hiroki and then added an extra blanket.

_"Poor, Hiro-san,"_ he thought looking down at the sleeping neko.

It seemed as if the professor just couldn't catch a break. He noted the hybrid's shaved, stitched ear sadly. Nowaki would have liked to say that it was the ear that had continued Hiro-san's terrible downward spiral for the day, but he realized the truth of it was that he was also largely responsible.

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><p>After the debacle in Miyagi's office, once they were out on the University grounds, Nowaki had led Hiroki over to a bench well off the main campus paths.<p>

"Hiro-san, we have a bit of time still, before your appointment. I was actually early coming to get you but I thought it would be best to get you out of that office. Why don't we sit down and talk for a few minutes. Okay?"

Hiroki sat down heavily on the bench next to Nowaki.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Nowaki asked kindly.

Hiroki didn't say anything at first. Then he sighed. He kept his eyes on the ground. "Does it matter?" He muttered, "I am a disgrace, all the way around."

"Of course it matters, Hiro-san. How else are we going to get this situation resolved?"

"Nowaki, it's my fault. I chased the Takatsuki brat and the Dean caught me," Hiroki said flatly.

"But, Hiro-san, why did you chase him? Was it because he bit you?"

Hiroki's torn ear twitched at its mention. He looked up at Nowaki in surprise.

"You know, this morning after we left you and Miyagi-san, Dean Takatsuki told me that Shinobu-chan had been suspended for fighting at his school." Nowaki shared this information in the hopes of raising his discouraged neko's spirits.

Hiroki's eyes widened at this news. "He did?"

"Yes. So he knows Shinobu-chan's propensity for trouble and I am sure, Hiro-san, that he does not see you as the type of neko who goes around fighting with kittens. And after all, you didn't leave a single mark on the small Shinobu cat and you could have quite easily hurt him as you're so much bigger than he is."

Nowaki's words should have given Hiroki hope, but actually they only really served to stir his already immense shame.

"Nowaki."

"Yes, Hiro-san?"

"I… I have bitten a kitten before." Hiroki shakily admitted; his voice heavy with embarrassment.

Nowaki looked at Hiroki with surprise. "Hiro-san, why would you do such a thing?"

"It was very wrong of me, I know."

Hiroki had been on the receiving end of enough bites by Tsumori now to have developed a great sympathy for the Takahashi kitten he had so unthinkingly injured.

"I have no excuse really… I was just so… N-not really thinking very clearly at the time."

"Was this kitten Usami-san's?" Nowaki asked softly.

Hiroki looked at Nowaki, a shocked expression on his face. His eyes filled with tears and he quickly looked away. Nowaki watched the neko's shoulder's rise and fall as the hybrid drew a deep breath. Hiroki nodded slowly.

"And is that why you ran away?" Nowaki's voice was even lower this time.

Hiroki dropped his head but after a moment he nodded again.

"Oh, Hiro-san," Nowaki said sadly.

Hiroki hung his head down even lower. His ears flattened and his tail gave a sad twitch. "How do you know about these things, Nowaki?" Hiroki's voice was thick with emotion.

"Well, the Dean told me he checked with Usami-san after you told him that you had changed owners... And then I talked with Aikawa-san, Usami-san's editor… And then I talked to Usami-san himself." Nowaki said all of this very carefully, closely watching Hiroki's reaction.

"What did Akihiko say?" Hiroki's voice was no louder than a breath.

Nowaki's heart trembled at this response: did this mean that Hiro-san still did love Usami?

"Well, you can ask Usami-san himself, when we go see him tomorrow." Nowaki hid his heartache and tried to keep his tone light.

Hiroki's head shot up immediately at this news."We're going to see him?"

Inside his mind was screaming _"No! No! No! I don't want to ever see Akihiko again. I can't bear to face him!"_ On the outside, however, he only shivered.

Nowaki saw the response, but misinterpreted the motion. He thought it was perhaps excitement or anticipation.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki said gently, taking Hiroki's hand in his own. "I know I bought you from Tsumori, but if you ran away from Usami-san, in a way, you still really belong to him." Nowaki silently despaired; it pained him immensely to say this.

_Especially if he still has your heart._

"But…but I was gone for more than a month… so he lost his rights… and besides… he never even looked for me," Hiroki stammered. He hated how desperate his voice sounded in his own ears.

_Is Nowaki going to give me back to Akihiko?_ Hiroki was panicking. His heart felt like it might break.

"But he did report you missing, Hiro-san," Nowaki offered, though he really didn't want to. Obviously thinking that Usami had forsaken him had impacted the neko deeply.

"He just didn't report you to the University because he didn't want to hurt your professorship. And he did find you after Tsumori bought you and tried to buy you back but Tsumori told him you didn't want to go back and that you never wanted to talk to him again, so Usami-san decided to leave you where he thought you would be happier."

All of this new information caused a tumult of emotions in Hiroki.

_What did this mean? Did Akihiko maybe have some feelings for me after all? _Hiroki suddenly didn't know what to feel. He had loved Akihiko for so long. At the same time, he'd been through so much with Nowaki and the man had been so kind to him.

Hiroki tipped his chin down slightly and studied Nowaki from under his lashes. Nowaki's blue eyes were filled with conflict and concern.

Nowaki had said he loved him… what did that mean though if he surrendered him to Akihiko?

_Nothing…_

"Nowaki?" Hiroki could hardly bear to utter the words, but he had to know. "Am I going back to Akihiko?"

"Oh, Hiro-san…" Nowaki didn't know how to answer that, his heart and his sense of honor were warring inside him. "Whatever happens, you need to at least explain yourself to him. If nothing else, talk with him about why you ran away. What you did was illegal after all."

Hiroki knew that on a certain level Nowaki was right. Though his pride had been dealt so many blows recently he didn't know how he was going to bear it.

_And what about Akihiko, why shouldn't he have to explain himself? Offer me an apology for bringing home a kitten after eight years without ever talking it over._

But that would never happen, Hiroki suddenly realized. Because Akihiko was a human and he was only a neko and that was the crux of it: the crux of everything. Likewise it didn't matter if he really wanted to stay with Nowaki or not. Love was not a luxury that any hybrid could afford to own or even hope for. Hiroki understood at last Nowaki was his owner ultimately, and whatever the man decided to do, he knew he would have to abide by it.

Nowaki looked at the neko sitting beside him. He didn't dare pressure Hiro-san. He wanted the hybrid to see Usami and make up his own mind. At the same time he wanted desperately for Hiro-san to tell him, he loved him and not his former owner, and that he would speak with the author but that he wanted to stay with him.

But Hiroki just stayed silent.

Finally the neko nodded.

Nowaki's heart sank. He looked down at his watch, "We'd better get going now, Hiro-san." He stood and awkwardly offered the professor his hand. It bothered him when Hiroki took it without looking at him and without protest.

* * *

><p>The vet's office had been a bit of a zoo (literally).<p>

Nowaki had never been to a hybrid vet's before. He was amazed by all the varieties of hybrids and the variety of owners was almost equally as interesting. The receptionist gave him a bunch of forms to fill out. He took these and scanned the waiting room. It was quite crowded.

Finally Nowaki managed to find seats for the two of them, until a very angry looking woman with an obviously congested kitten yelled at him and told him, with the crowding in the room, his pet should be sitting on the floor like everyone else so that a human could have the chair.

Nowaki truly hadn't noticed this fact initially, but then he observed what the woman had said was true. All the other hybrids were sitting on the ground. He started to say something in protest, but Hiroki, simply, wordlessly, slipped off the seat and slid over on the floor between Nowaki's knees.

Nowaki sensed something terrible had happened since their conversation on the campus grounds. There was no spark left at all it seemed in Hiroki. He wondered if Hiro-san was overwhelmed with remorse, knowing that his first love, Usami, had obviously missed him.

Seated on the floor now, Hiroki had the end of his tail in his hands and was nervously petting it.

"Hiro-san, are you okay?" Nowaki asked though he could clearly see the neko was not.

Hiroki only nodded. It seemed that since they had left the University the hybrid has lost his capacity for speech.

Nowaki wanted so much to reach out and stroke the cinnamon neko's head. _But that wouldn't be right now, would it? Not if Hiro-san loves someone else._ So he focused instead on filling out the forms.

A vet tech came out to take Hiroki's information and crisply informed Nowaki that all pets, while in the clinic, were required to be on a leash. "But I don't have one," Nowaki said, "and I told Hiro-san that I would never use one."

_You also told me you loved me,_ Hiroki thought. For a creature who'd dedicated his whole life around the careful arrangement of words, suddenly none of them seemed worth a shit.

Several of the other owners around Nowaki were now staring at him with expressions of clear disapproval on their faces. How irresponsible, especially considering Hiroki's appearance. It was obvious the man's hybrid fought a lot.

"I'm sorry, mandatory leashing is clinic policy," the technician said. "Here," she took a cheap nylon, cinch-lead out of one of the pockets of her lab coat and slipped it over Hiroki's head.

Hiroki didn't move.

"I'm so sorry, Hiro-san." Nowaki breathed.

_So am I... For so many things... _Hiroki offered Nowaki a weak shrug.

Nowaki was beside himself with worry about Hiro-san's silence. It was obvious the hybrid's feelings for his former owner had run much deeper than he had ever imagined.

Finally they were called.

Nowaki let the lead fall and instead took Hiroki's hand again.

Once they were in the examination room, another vet tech took Hiroki's vitals and then asked Nowaki a few more questions. Then she told Hiroki he should strip down so the doctor could see him.

Nowaki asked the tech where the gown was for Hiroki to don while waiting.

"We don't use gowns for pets," the woman laughed as she left the room. Hiroki in the meantime had removed his clothes without complaint and had seated himself on the edge of the examination table.

Nowaki could see that his neko was already starting to shiver, so he took off his sweater and draped it around Hiroki's shoulders. Hiroki remained uncharacteristically silent.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki pleaded, "Please talk to me."

Just then the vet walked in. He was a nice-looking blond youth. "Good afternoon, Kusama-san, is it?" The vet looked down at the paperwork Nowaki had filled out.

"I'm Dr. Ochi. So you have a Kamijou I see. Now, that's a proud breed. Temperamental. Those hybrids need a special kind of owner. You often find them at the pound. People get them when they're kittens because they're cute, but relinquish them later because they become so difficult to manage. Too smart is commonly the main complaint."

Nowaki found himself irritated that the doctor was talking about Hiro-san like the neko wasn't even there.

"This is Kamijou Hiroki." Nowaki introduced Hiro-san to the vet.

"Well, hello there, Hiro," Ochi slid Nowaki's sweater off of Hiroki's shoulders.

"You're the new owner?" He asked, looking back at Nowaki.

Nowaki nodded.

"Well, I must say your Hiro looks a bit bedraggled, and that ear of his is a mess. Still, not the worst I've seen come through here, I'm sorry to say." Ochi sadly frowned. "So there was a lot of sexual use as well?"

"Yes, I am afraid so, Ochi-sensei." Nowaki noticed as he said this that there was something new that seemed to be wrong with Hiro-san; the neko had gone suddenly pale when he should have been blushing and his thin sides were heaving.

"Okay, I'll take blood and cultures and run the usual tests. I think I'd best attend to that ear first, however, it looks really nasty." Ochi reached over and gently touched the edge of Hiroki's bitten ear.

"Ummm, please be careful. Hiro-san's ears are rather sensitive." Nowaki was really getting concerned now. Hiroki was openly panting and he could hear a low growl starting to emanate from the hybrid's throat.

Ochi heard it too. "Easy, Hiro-chan," he soothed. "I'll give him a shot of some local anesthetic to numb the ear, but we're going to have to shave and stitch it." The vet turned to get the supplies.

"Hiro-san, what's going on?" Nowaki asked worriedly. But Hiroki's eyes had taken on a glazed quality. Suddenly Nowaki began to suspect what was wrong. He had witnessed similar reactions occasionally in patients who had been victims of abuse or trauma. Hiro-san was having a PTSD attack.

"Dr. Ochi…"

The vet turned around with the syringe in one hand and an alcohol swab in the other. "Okay, Hiro, you might feel a little pinch." He reached out for Hiroki's damaged ear.

That was when all hell broke loose.

Hiroki had reached his limit. As if all the stress of recent events, the shame of the day, and the impending loss of his new home wasn't enough, when he had seen the blond vet in his lab smock, he had begun to experience a series of flashbacks of his time with Tsumori.

That the man had called him "Hiro" only exacerbated this. And what the doctor had just said (however kindly), were the exact words that Tsumori had hissed into his ear before he had been pierced.

Hiroki for a moment did not realize he was in the vet's office any more, in his mind he was back in Tsumori's wretched apartment. Experiencing this, the neko seemed at last regain his power of speech.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!" Hiroki knocked the syringe from the surprised vet's hand and darted under the examination table.

"Hiro-san!" Nowaki called and reached under the table to try and calm the panicked catman. He drew away sharply, however, almost immediately after doing so, and watched as a long deep scratch down his forearm, just inflicted by the terrified neko, welled over with blood.

Ochi hit a button on the intercom that was located on the wall next to the examination table. "I have a code nine in exam room three."

Within seconds four vet techs entered the room. Two of them urged Nowaki to leave with them. "What? Why? No, I won't leave Hiro-san!" he protested. He saw one of the other techs had something like a long pole in his hand. "Don't hurt him!" Nowaki shouted.

"That's just a tranquilizer lance," one of the techs who had hold Nowaki's arm said. "That way we can sedate him, without being bitten or scratched."

"Please, Kusama-san," Ochi requested, his voice very calm. "Go with the assistants out in the hall for a few minutes. We won't hurt him, I promise, but I often find that when nekos get worked up like this, having their owner there can just make them more agitated. Hiro can probably sense your distress and that will only upset him more."

Very reluctantly Nowaki allowed himself to be led out into the hall. He heard shouts and crashes. Hiroki called his name once, and Nowaki went to rush in, but a tech, standing in front of the door assured him everything was going to be fine. Then everything was quiet.

The technician who'd been blocking Nowaki's way opened the door and stuck her head in. She motioned to Nowaki, "Okay, Kusama-san you can go back in now."

When Nowaki stepped back into the room, Hiroki was stretched out on his side on the examination table. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, his breath rose and fell in a slow steady rhythm.

His situation, however, didn't look peaceful at all. They had restrained Hiroki's limbs and muzzled the poor professor. The vet was calmly shaving Hiroki's battered ear. The scene reminded Nowaki of a book he had read when he was a child called "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe," where a beautiful Lion was sacrificed. He had cried bitterly when he had read that story as a boy. His response to seeing his beloved Hiro-san like this right now was no different.

Ochi saw the tall man's distress. "Kusama-san," he comforted, "don't worry, your Hiro-chan will be just fine. The restraints are just a precaution and we didn't put them on until after he was asleep. I'll take them off as soon as I get done with the exam. Hiro will never know. In fact, hopefully, he won't remember much of this visit at all. That happens quite often with this sedative."

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><p>Nowaki certainly hoped that would be the case. He could not imagine what it would do to Hiro-san's remaining pride otherwise.<p>

Watching Hiroki sleeping, Nowaki was overwhelmed with grief. He felt like all of this disastrous day was somehow his fault. He was angry with himself for having his conversation about seeing Usami with Hiro-san so soon after that embarrassing encounter with the Dean.

After all, Hiro-san had told him that seeing the vet made him nervous and all that he had done was inadvertently heighten the catman's stress.

Nowaki was also very angry that he hadn't thought about how Hiro-san's recent abuse might trigger certain responses. He knew enough about PTSD from his work at the hospital, he should have been more prepared. He had done a terrible job of taking care of the neko. He didn't really deserve to have such a wonderful creature. Nowaki reached down and stroked Hiroki's sleep-smooth brow.

He left the bedroom and went out to the kitchen to make dinner. He hoped that Hiroki would wake up before he left for work, though maybe if he was lucky the catman would just sleep straight through, until he returned home from the hospital.

Nowaki was grilling some fish when his cellphone suddenly rang.

"Hello."

"Yes, is this Kusama-san?"

Nowaki immediately recognized Miyagi's deep voice. "Yes, this is he."

"I apologize for intruding into your evening, but is Kamijou-kun there? He left this number with me and said your phone was the best way to get a hold of him."

"He's resting right now," Nowaki told the noir neko. "He had a rather difficult visit with the vet, can I take a message?"

"Ah… How is the professor's poor ear?" Miyagi asked. He felt bad. He hated having to go to the vet himself.

"He had to get nine stitches," Nowaki sighed.

"Ah, yes… well about that…" Miyagi's voice sounded very uncomfortable. "I feel responsible. You see, I had a long talk with Shinobu and… Well, I was teasing Kamijou-kun this afternoon a bit and Shinobu saw me. It seems the kitten has developed a bit of an unusual attachment for me."

In the background Nowaki could hear a small voice say faintly, "Fate, Miyagi-san."

"Shush, Shinobu-chin," the big cat hissed.

"Anyway, Kusama-san, Shinobu confessed that he was the one who started everything and he is very sorry. We've been trying to reach the Dean without any luck so far. But we will keep trying to reach him so that Shinobu can tell his foster father as much. And please know that he will be apologizing formally to Kamijou-kun the next time he sees him."

"Thank you for this news, Miyagi-san." Nowaki breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sure it will make Hiro-san very happy." Though Nowaki knew he might have to have a serious talk with his neko professor privately later about this matter of teasing.

"Also, please tell Kamijou-kun I will take his classes tomorrow. I only have one myself anyway and it doesn't conflict. I don't see any reason he should have to apologize to his class if it is not disrupted, and maybe we can get everything sorted out before Dean Takatsuki even returns on Monday."

"That is very kind of you, Miyagi-san, I will be sure to tell him."

"It's really the very least I can do, Kusama-san" the old tom said, still sounding embarrassed.

Nowaki closed his phone. Maybe things were finally starting to come around for Hiro-san. It looked like maybe things could be cleared up with his job at the college. And tomorrow they would now not have to rush their meeting with Usami. So perhaps there would be time for reconciliation between Hiro-san and the author. Then Hiro-san could be with someone who was obviously better equipped to care for him.

Nowaki knew he should be very pleased with how things were now turning out, but the tears he felt in his eyes, he knew, were not of happiness.

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><p><strong> Old AN:<strong>

**Sorry it took a while to get this chapter to you. It was longer than usual and very hard to write (stupid, I know, but it made me very sad). I promise things will get better for Hiroki soon. **

**Scioneeris- thank you for joining the story and the great reviews.**

**Midoritenchi90- karma wouldn't have been there without your review.**

**ASTROZOMBIE8- Glad you like the terrorist pairing**

**xMoymoy- I appreciate your impassioned reviews and your feedback about my depictions of the terrorist couple. Please keep reading.**

**Kirakrz- I always love to hear from you and thank you for the congrats. **

**Shimaki-33- keep reading and thanks for the review.**

**Teabags- love that you're here for this fic too, now!**

**MeltXD, I.C.2014, Illemi, Juj, Madame Masquerade 64, FreshPrinceLover, Reficular, thanks for the feedback as always- **

**More terrorist next chapter. Might be up later today!**


	33. Sorry: Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Sorry**

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><p>While Hiroki had been starting his ordeal at the vet's, another neko's ordeal was just ending.<p>

It was a very contrite kitten that stepped out of the bath at Miyagi's.

Miyagi didn't have the heart to leave Shinobu in the tub for very long, only about fifteen minutes, but for the wee caramel neko, that was more than enough.

"Come on now." Miyagi said, allowing Shinobu to stand up. "Let's get you out of those wet things."

Shinobu watched closely, teeth chattering, as the noir neko helped him first out of his clothes and then out of the tub.

Miyagi was having trouble looking Shinobu in the eye.

Shinobu suddenly realized that Miyagi felt bad about punishing him. For some reason this made him feel bad too. He'd forced the neko he loved to do something that upset him, even though he really had deserved to be punished. What he'd done to Kamijou-sensei had been wrong.

This realization caused a new batch of tears to well up.

Miyagi noticed this when he lifted the towel from the kitten's damp head: Shinobu had gotten completely drenched in his earlier struggles to get out of the bath, he had first placed him in it. "What's this about then?" Miyagi asked his deep voice filled with concern. "You're out of the tub now. You're ummm… not 'broken' anymore, and I promise I'm not going to punish you again as long as you behave."

"I've been a bad neko," Shinobu sniffled, "I shouldn't have bit Kamijou-sensei."

"Ah, well now, Shinobu-chin," Miyagi said uncomfortably, "I think we're both a bit guilty about not behaving as well as we should have with poor Kamijou-san." The noir neko lifted the little cat's chin with his big hand and looked into Shinobu's sad gray eyes. "But we can fix that. So no more tears."

Shinobu nodded solemnly. He had decided while sitting in the tub that he was going to try and be a very good neko from now on. Maybe then Miyagi might love him.

"Good, here, put this on," Miyagi ordered. He had put his own bathrobe in the dryer and warmed it up. He helped Shinobu struggle into the overlarge garment.

The soft warm fabric against the wee neko's cold bruised skin felt wonderful. Shinobu pulled the collar of the robe up around his face and buried his nose in it. It smelled just like Miyagi. His heart began to beat rapidly. That Miyagi had been so thoughtful as to do this for him after he'd behaved so badly made him tear up yet again.

Miyagi found himself rather mesmerized by the vision of the tiny hybrid in his robe: Shinobu's thin arms swimming in the sleeves, the bottom of the garment (though it was only three-quarter length), pooling on the floor around him. The hybrid's hair, dark with damp was plastered in wild wisps, framing his pale cheeks. Brat though he might be, the kitten was also adorable.

Miyagi had watched Shinobu gather the fuzzy fabric up around his face. He saw the delight in the younger male's eyes as he sniffed it. There was something tender in this action that the Miyagi found surprisingly moving. Then he noticed the kitten's glistening eyes. "Oi, Shinobu…" He started. But Shinobu had moved up against him and had once again wrapped his arms around his waist.

Miyagi sighed. What was he going to do with this kit? He put his big hands under Shinobu's slender arms and hoisted him up. Shinobu wrapped his arms around the professor's neck and his legs around his torso. The kitten nestled the tear-damp bridge of his nose under the big neko's jaw.

Miyagi tried to gather as much of his robe as possible in his hands making a cushion for Shinobu's tender backside, as he supported the clinging caramel kitten's bottom. "I swear, Shinobu, you are the cryingest cat I have ever known." Miyagi was trying to sound gruff, but it wasn't working as well as he'd hoped. He'd been right in his earlier assessment. Shinobu was a heart-breaker.

He ignored the mess they'd both made in the bathroom. He'd make Shinobu clean it up later. He carried the kitten in his arms back out into the main room of the apartment.

Miyagi and Shinobu had sat on the couch quietly for some time. Miyagi had managed to unwrap Shinobu's legs from around him but not the kitten's arms, so Shinobu was now sitting sideways on his lap.

Miyagi hadn't quite known what to do, but Shinobu seemed perfectly content to just sit there silently. After what he had put the small neko through, Miyagi just didn't have the heart to push Shinobu away. So he'd picked up a book, after a bit, and had begun reading.

Actually, though he didn't want to admit it, it had been a long time since the old tom had felt so content. The weight of the small warm body against his chest and the gentle vibrations of Shinobu's soft purring were quite soothing. Miyagi was even more amused than annoyed when Shinobu's thin tail would occasionally switch up and get stuck between the pages of the book he was reading like a fuzzy bookmark.

Finally Shinobu's stomach began adding its rumblings to the ones made by the kitten's purring. "Shinobu-chin," Miyagi said, trying to unlatch the youth's arms from his neck. "Let me get up and order us some takeout. I need to feed you."

"Oh, no, Miyagi-san," Shinobu said, suddenly becoming animated again and slipping carefully off the big neko's lap. "You said I could fix your dinner." Shinobu thought this would be a chance to show Miyagi what a good neko he could be.

"Oh, okay then." Miyagi rubbed the back of his head. His cheeks flushed just a bit watching the kitten start limping towards the kitchen. He worried he might have gotten a bit carried away with the spanking. "Oi, Shinobu… Why don't you put some clothes on, before you start tripping around the kitchen in my robe?" Miyagi said this around the cigarette he was lighting, now that he was unencumbered by the little cat.

Shinobu was about to issue a protest. He was very reluctant to part with the garment. It was black like Miyagi's hair, and because it carried his scent, it was easy for Shinobu to imagine that it was really the old tom wrapped around him. Then he remembered his pledge to be better behaved. So rather than complain he merely picked up his overnight bag and disappeared into the guest room.

When the small neko re-emerged he was wearing a thin white T shirt and a pair of loose gray sweats only slightly lighter in color than his eyes. Seeing how cute the slender little neko looked even in these most humble of clothes, Miyagi suddenly realized this could quite possibly be a very long couple of days. What with work and all, he had not mated in some time and found himself feeling distressingly aroused.

He distracted himself by retrieving his school bag and getting out some papers to grade once he'd reseated himself on the couch. He was having a very hard time focusing however as Shinobu rattled around in the kitchen.

"Can I help you find anything?"

"No, I can manage," Shinobu replied from behind the counter.

The cat in Miyagi was entirely too curious. Tufted ears perked forward, he crept over and peered behind the counter.

Shinobu was trying to open a low drawer and experiencing some difficulty. When it suddenly came open, he fell backward. Miyagi tried hard not to laugh as the kitten suddenly yelped when his bruised bottom collided with the floor.

"Oi, Shinobu, are you sure you don't need a hand?" Miyagi teased.

The startled young hybrid looked up at him and scowled. His ears flattened. "No, Miyagi-san," he said rather primly, hoisting himself up with a wince, "I can do this myself. I am very capable."

"Suit yourself." Miyagi chuckled as he walked back over to the couch and sat down again. Shinobu's determination tickled him.

Shinobu was now going through the professor's cupboards and refrigerator. "You need to get some more groceries, Miyagi-san."

"Enough with the "san" Shinobu… just call me 'Miyagi,'" the noir neko said from the couch, rattling his papers to hide his embarrassment.

Shinobu had been bending over, looking into the fridge, willing something delicious to appear; unfortunately the only thing that had materialized was a head of cabbage. At Miyagi's words, he suddenly straightened up. He looked over at Miyagi who was now studiously avoiding him. Shinobu's ears perked straight forward and his nose scrunched in pleasure. While it might not be love, he would certainly consider this progress.

Shinobu took the cabbage over to the cutting board and began chopping it up. "Don't you have any meat, Miyagi?" He asked, mostly because he wanted to feel the less formal address in his mouth. Shinobu decided he quite liked the taste of it on his tongue.

"I might have some tuna somewhere," Miyagi offered. "Are you sure you don't want take out?"

"I can do this, Miyagi, it will be good, I promise."

Miyagi frowned, somehow not quite convinced.

Miyagi watched the kitten heat up oil in a big frying pan. He was worried that the little neko might burn himself. Then after about five more minutes passed, he now found himself more worried that Shinobu might actually burn down the apartment. He refrained from saying anything, however, and instead, just sat and watched nervously from the couch.

Shinobu was staring into the frying pan with a look of intense concentration. His caramel ears twitched back and forth, his tail switched with anticipation brushing the backs of the his slender calves as it passed.

Miyagi got up and went into the kitchen on the pretext of getting the dishes so that he could set the table.

"No, Miyagi, I'll do it." Shinobu flipped his small paws at the huge hybrid, trying to drive him from the kitchen. Miyagi couldn't help but smile as he shuffled obediently out.

Not long afterwards the two nekos sat at the table each looking at his own plate of overcooked chopped cabbage. Miyagi took a couple bites and made a show of pretending how delicious it was. Shinobu, far from stupid, shot the noir neko a very disapproving look. Miyagi saw this and shrugged, "Okay, you got me."

"It's terrible," Shinobu sighed.

"It's not terrible," Miyagi was afraid the wee kit might start crying again. "It's just… not good."

Miyagi was surprised when his comment brought just the smallest of smiles to Shinobu's face. "_Oh hell,_" he thought, "_Shinobu's cute when he scowls but he's an angel when he smiles."_

"I can do better, I know it." Shinobu promised.

"Tomorrow, okay." Miyagi said, ruffling kitten's head as he went to go get his phone, "right now we're getting take out because I am starving."

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><p>While waiting for the takeout, Miyagi tried several times, unsuccessfully, to get a hold of Dean Takatsuki. He also tried to call Kamijou and there, fortunately, was able to leave a message with Kusama.<p>

When he got off the phone he looked down at the other end of the couch where the neko Takatsuki cat was sitting. "Shinobu, Kusama-san told me that Kamijou-sensei had to get nine stitches in his ear where you bit him."

Shinobu's ears immediately drooped and he looked very remorseful. He chewed on his bottom lip nervously and gazed up at Miyagi with his huge storm-gray eyes. "Does that mean I have to be punished again?" His voice trembled a bit as he said this.

"No," Miyagi sighed. "But you did hear me tell Kusama-san that you would apologize to Kamijou, correct."

Shinobu nodded gravely. "I will. I truly am sorry, Miyagi," he sniffled.

"Shhhhhhh, come here, Brat," Miyagi said gently lifting up one of his big arms. Shinobu accepted the invitation immediately and crawled down the couch, coming to snuggle up against the huge hybrid's side. "You know, when you said you were going to tell me that Kamijou-san ran away, Shinobu, I remembered something." Miyagi lit another cigarette.

The kitten wrinkled his nose at the bitter smell of the smoke, but looked up at the noir neko with interest.

"I remembered another runaway, a few years ago, a little golden kit that some ferals were about to assault. I came upon the scene as I was walking through the park."

"You remember?" Shinobu breathed. "That was me. You saved me! That's when I knew that I loved you, Miyagi, that's when I knew it was fate!" Shinobu was beside himself with excitement. His tail wrapped around the wrist of the professor's arm he was nestled under and pulled it closer to him.

Then he realized looking at Miyagi's face that the older cat still didn't believe it was fate. His head dropped and his tail loosened its grip and slunk around into his lap.

"It was after I ran away that time that my breeders put me in the group home." Shinobu confided. "They said I was a flight risk and they couldn't sell me because if I ran away from an owner it would hurt their reputation as good breeders. Before they found the group home, they had even threatened to put me down once because I wouldn't stop running away." Shinobu began to hiccup at the memory as he said this.

Miyagi frowned. Sometimes he just really hated humans.

"But if they hadn't put me in the group home and Risako-san hadn't found me there and Dean Takatsuki hadn't brought me to your office, I would have never found you. So, see it is fate, Miyagi."

How the kitten could sound so happy about such an unfortunate series of events was beyond Miyagi, and clearly the trauma of his past had left Shinobu somewhat delusional. But he could not bring himself to say something at the moment that would steal the shine from the kitten's eyes. So instead he just ruffed Shinobu's head and said, "Well, we'll see about that, I suppose."

Then he noticed how warm the kit's forehead was under his hand. "Shinobu, do you feel okay?" Miyagi was suddenly concerned his punishment and the cold bath might have brought on a slight fever.

"I feel fine, Miyagi," Shinobu said, settling back down against Miyagi's solid side. He pushed one of his cat ear up to Miyagi's chest and listened to the comforting beat of the older cat's heart.

Miyagi curled his magnificent tail up and around the softly purring kitten, while they waited for their food to come.

* * *

><p>Worried about the young neko's health, Miyagi sent Shinobu to bed just after they finished their dinner. He stayed up for some time after this grading papers.<p>

When he finally decided to retire for the night, just before going to bed, he decided to check on Shinobu to make sure he was sleeping okay. He pressed one acute ear to the door and was dismayed to hear soft sobs coming from inside Shinobu's room.

Miyagi opened the door and went over to the small figure tucked into the bed. Shinobu had wrapped himself up again in Miyagi's big robe. The huge hybrid placed one of his large paws on Shinobu's forehead and became even more concerned when it felt hotter than it had previously.

"Shinobu, are you sick?" Maybe the residual pain from the spanking was causing a fever. Regardless, Miyagi felt terrible now for being so harsh earlier.

"No, Miyagi," Shinobu said. He felt bad to worry the other neko. "Just talking about running away made me remember some things and that made me sad." Shinobu sobbed a bit as he shared this.

"Okay, Brat, grab your pillows," Miyagi ordered.

Shinobu was confused, but did as he was asked.

Miyagi picked the younger hybrid up and carried Shinobu into his bedroom. He tucked the kitten into his own bed and then crawled in himself. Using Shinobu's pillows he made a wall between himself and his ward .

"You stay on your side and no funny business," Miyagi warned and then realized it was rather ironic that he, the seme cat, was saying this to an obviously uke kitten that was about half his size. "And wake me up if you really start to feel unwell." Miyagi's voice was gruff with concern. Then, in a pretend display of huffiness, he rolled over putting his back to Shinobu and the pillow wall.

Shinobu rolled on to his side and put his back to the pillows as well. Ensconced in Miyagi's robe and with the feel of Miyagi's solidity through the pillows at his back, he was suddenly quite content. Then he was surprised to feel the old tom's thick tail slink over the wall and slink its way between his arms.

Shinobu was delighted with this. He took Miyagi's magnificent plume between his paws and pulled its soft tip up, tucking it under his chin.

"I warn you, I snore too, so no complaints," Miyagi growled, though on the other side of the pillows he smiled at Shinobu's gentle touch.

However his snores wouldn't have mattered anyway, because once Shinobu had nestled into Miyagi's tail, the kitten had fallen almost instantly, deeply asleep.

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><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**Okay another long chapter. Now I am done for the day. Will update with Misaki and Tsumori and then on to the meeting with Akihiko and Hiroki, so you know what's ahead. **

**FreshPrinceLover- thank you for the speedy review.**

**XMoymoy- hope this terrorist chap is to your liking, though if it's not, I am sure you will tell me. P.S. I put that "fate, Miyagi-san" in the phone conversation for you. Though it made me smile as well.**

**Illemi- hope this finds you before you retire for the night.**

**Teabags- Thank you for re-reading. I love it that the story moved you and I agree, no one/animal should ever have to endure abuse.**

**Hope to hear from some more of you!**


	34. New: Tsumori

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Thirty-Four: New**

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><p>Hiroki wasn't the only neko experiencing some medical difficulties that Monday. Over the course of the day, starting with his terrible discovery that morning, Tsumori found himself experiencing an ever widening circle of surreal symptoms and had reached the terrifying conclusion that (though he couldn't medically explain how) he was truly turning into a neko.<p>

It had started of course with those damned ears and that tail.

By early afternoon, there was no doubt that the blond medical intern now had an almost fully functioning set of neko ears. He could feel almost every individual hair on them. They still itched, though not quite as badly and seemed now to be able to move about quite freely on their own. It hurt like hell too when someone pulled on them he quickly found out. Unfortunately as soon as this was discovered, tweaking the false neko's ears had become an instant favorite action of Ren's.

On top of the itching ears, Tsumori had suffered a splitting headache since the time he woken up. Now he knew that getting bashed by Kusama and having been slapped hard by Ren a number of time no doubt insured, at the very least, a concussion, but he was also aware that amidst this general ache he'd become very conscious of two primary points of pain, one in front of each ear, that seemed to run deep into his skull.

Tsumori had been totally freaked out (more than he had been earlier, if that was possible) to discover that when he pressed these points, they felt very soft, as if the patch of the bone beneath them had dissolved. Tsumori now surmised that sometime in the next few days, if things continued to progress as the had been, the skin over these areas would open up, revealing new ear canals for his furry additions.

To his dismay, his neko tail had also continued to develop and though still weak, he was now able to consciously flip it from side to side. It also, however, seemed to be gaining a mind of its own and would twitch or curl slightly depending on what he was feeling.

Like his ears, Tsumori's tail was now also quite capable of feeling pain. He'd discovered this when the big knacker Jun had accidentally stepped on it that afternoon. It had sent a white hot jolt all the way up his spine.

Tsumori, in the midst of these changes he was undergoing, was experiencing other strange sensations as well. His vision had altered slightly; it seemed sharper. He could smell things much more strongly and sometimes found himself now somehow "feeling" certain smells. In addition to this, only an hour ago, he had been mortified to catch himself licking a wound on his arm and even more disgusted to realize that the flesh of his tongue had become slightly rough and bumpy.

Along with all of these alarming physical developments, some mental/psychological transformations had begun to also manifest. For example, the empathy that he had been lacking that morning for Hiroki, was beginning to form. So while he was still pissed at the cinnamon bitch cat, he had also begun to feel a more bothered, each time Ren pulled one of his ears or Jun grabbed his tail, remembering, as he winced in pain, how often he had done the same thing to his neko.

Despite all these other things, Tsumori felt that his punch-rattled brain still seemed to be reasonably intact, at least still more evolved than what he'd expect of a hybrid, and he was grateful for this, though he was wondering if he had to spend too much more time with the abusive knackers, if what he'd always believed was an animal's insensibility might not be preferable.

One thing, however, that Tsumori couldn't understand for the life of him was why he wasn't able to make any sounds other than cat noises at this point. All the nekos he'd ever encountered could talk. This loss of voice was hugely annoying and what was worse, it seemed to delight the big knacker, Jun. The huge oaf was now constantly doing things to try and elicit cat sounds from the becoming neko and had also taken to calling Tsumori "Mori-chan" and "Kitty", which pissed the evolving catman off to no end.

The trio had returned recently to the knackers' apartment after staking out the University, watching for Hiroki. Ren had been very distressed to see Nowaki leading Hiroki away from the campus, and wondered how in the hell they were supposed to kidnap the Kamijou cat if the tall man was always with the neko. But Jun, the more patient of the two, advised they should give it another day or two and see what developed, before abandoning their plan.

Now Ren was pacing back and forth, up and down the floor of the living room. He'd been trying all day to reach the "Doc," who had given them the dead neko parts and the adhesive. He wanted to know what in the hell was going on with their captive. To be honest, the little knacker was even more disturbed by Tsumori's transformation than Tsumori was.

Jun on the other hand seemed to be taking the whole thing in stride. He was sitting on the couch. He'd stripped their new pet as soon as they had gotten home and had forced Tsumori to sit on the ground between his big knees. Tsumori had taken this position reluctantly. He was horribly stiff now from all the abuse he'd endured the last few days and spending several hours leashed in the back of the van didn't seem to have helped any either.

"If you promise to be good, Mori-chan, I'll take your collars off," Jun cooed.

Tsumori felt himself blushing. _Wait a minute, _ _I never blush!_

He nodded his head, grimacing at the pain in his stiff, blistered neck.

"Kitty has to tell Daddy he'll be good." The big knacker had a slightly idiotic smile on his rough face. Somehow this expression made Jun look even more menacing than usual.

Tsumori pointed to the bark collar (or now in this case, meow collar) that encircled his throat. Ren had put it back on him after he had screeched so loudly when Jun had stepped on his tail.

"Oh, yeah," Jun grunted, sounding a bit embarrassed. "Forgot about that, sorry." He took the terrible thing off.

"Neko-chan's so smart," Jun crooned. "Now tell me you want the other collar off too."

Tsumori's new blush ability manifest itself again, despite the fact he was furiously scowling at the big dumb fuck sitting over him. He really did want that other collar off though, its stiff leather was really chafing his neck.

The becoming neko had another unbidden image of Hiroki and his cinnamon hybrid's abraded neck. He pushed the picture from his mind and tried to untie the surprising knot in his stomach that had suddenly been tied along with it. At the same time he gave the big knacker a half-hearted "Meow."

Perhaps the most awful thing to Tsumori about losing his human voice was the pitch of new cat voice that he found himself stuck with. It was quite high and to him sounded way more like a kitten's than a cat's. It was so embarrassing.

Tsumori realized he never used to feel embarrassed about anything either.

Nonetheless, his "mew" delighted Jun who took the heavy collar off and then to Tsumori's surprise and relief, Jun tipped his chin up and began to gently massage some ointment he'd taken from the medicine cabinet the last time the big knacker had gone into the bathroom, onto his damaged skin.

The soothing sensation of this was so great, Tsumori was hardly surprised when the unfamiliar rumbling he'd begun to experience in his chest turned out to be a purr.

Jun laughed at the new sound. "Hey, Ren, Mori-chan's telling his daddy that he likes this."

Ren, who had finally gotten through to the "Doc" and had just gotten off the phone, looked at the big knacker with an expression of combined amazement and disgust. "What the fuck are you talking about, Jun, and what in the hell are you doing?"

Jun looked up at the small knacker seething in front of him. "Aww, come on, Ren, you have to admit he's kind of cute as a neko, and besides, we need to kind of take care of him at least a little if we're going to keep using him. Otherwise, we'll wear him out in no time."

Tsumori cringed when he heard this, but what followed was even worse.

"Look, Jun," Ren said, "the Doc's pretty pissed. He never thought we'd have whoever we stuck the neko parts on long enough to know was going to happen. Apparently that adhesive stuff he gave us was some new formula of his. All those ears and tails he gave us had been treated with something too."

The weasely knacker looked down on the naked Tsumori with something akin to pity (as close as he would ever come anyway). "That adhesive, once it comes in contact with the skin, gets absorbed and starts a whole chain reaction of genetic mutations and physical changes and stuff. I guess it responds to the neko parts and the human parts and begins combining the two.

"By the time it's done working, " Ren said, "Doc says even a blood test won't be able to prove that Tsumori's not a neko, for real."

Jun let out a low whistle, "Man, I sure am glad we used those gloves like the Doc told us to when we put that shit on him then." Then the big knacker's face suddenly looked puzzled. "So how come he can't talk then?"

Tsumori nodded, despite his stiff neck and added a small, "yow?" He was curious too.

_"Hold on,"_ Tsumori thought, _"I 've hardly ever been really curious about anything before."_

"Well, I asked the Doc and he wasn't sure but he said he thought it was because the changes were still so new. He thought they might start out in a kind of kitten state and accelerate from there. He figured that Tsumori would be able to start talking again at some point."

Tsumori breathed a sigh of relief, but Jun looked rather disappointed.

"But the Doc wanted us to bring him to him right away. He wants to be able to observe how things progress. I told him we'd bring Tsumori to him tonight."

Between Jun's knees Tsumori shuddered.

"No," Jun said adamantly, unconsciously ruffling the new neko's head, "I want us to go through with this Kamijou cat-napping and Tsumori is the only one who knows how to get a hold of that author guy."

"Well, he can write still even if he can't talk, right?" Ren said leering evilly at Tsumori, whose ears unconsciously flattened in response. "I say we just break his fingers one at a time until he gives us the guy's contact info. Then we dump him at the Doc's."

Tsumori hated himself for doing this, but he looked up at Jun, making his eyes as big and sad as possible and let out a desperate, "Meeew."

Jun looked down at the intern and then over at Ren, obviously conflicted. "Look at how sweet Mori-chan is now though, Ren, and I've always wanted us to have our own neko. Can't we keep him?" The big knacker's voice took on a slight whine.

"No," said Ren flatly. Then looking at the pleading eyes of his partner, he allowed himself to soften just a bit. "Well, maybe I'll call the Doc and tell him we'll bring Tsumori to him tomorrow. Just one more night though, okay."

Jun looked sad, but figured it at least gave him a chance to breakdown his smaller partner's defenses. He felt confident that with enough time he could convince Ren to let him keep the kitty.

"Okay, neko bitch, since you're staying, let's see if your new neko skills have given you any aptitude for cooking." Ren grabbed Tsumori's ear and hauled the blond up from the ground, giving him a hard shove toward the kitchen.

Tsumori limped off obediently, he was too sore and tired to try and fight his captors at this point and maybe if he did an okay job, they might keep him around and not give him over to the "Doc."

_Wait, I've never cared like this about trying to please anyone else before._

As the new neko started rummaging around in the kitchen he could hear the two knackers continued talk over on the couch.

"Then after dinner we can play another round of _fill the cat_," Jun said happily.

"Yeah, and tonight we have this. I found it in one of our tool boxes." Ren displayed another shock collar that he pulled from one of his pockets.

"So, what's so great about it?" Jun said looking confused. "It doesn't appear any different than the one I just took off of him."

Ren pulled a little plastic box out of his pocket, "This one is remote controlled."

"Cooool," exclaimed Jun and both knackers started laughing.

In the kitchen Tsumori's ears flattened and his tail drooped. He suddenly wondered if a painful, though relatively quick death at the hands of the "Doc" might not be a better fate after all.

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><p><strong> Old AN:<strong>

**Next is on to Misaki and Akihiko... Glad most people seem to have enjoyed the little terrorist jaunt. Liz- hope this filled your Tsumori craving. If not let me know, as I am sure you have guessed by now, writing more is not a problem. X- your reviews make me want to marry you. **

**Hope to hear from more of you soon. :)**


	35. Sedate: Egoist, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Sedate**

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><p>Nowaki finished cooking dinner and went to check on Hiro-san. Peeking in through the door he could see the hybrid's form on the bed, buried under the blankets. The neko professor seemed to still be sleeping peacefully. Thus assured, he went back out and sat at the dining table and ate his solitary meal.<p>

It shouldn't have felt so strange to him. Hiroki had only been with him a very few days, and he'd eaten meals by himself for years with no problem. But sitting here now, looking at the empty space across from him, Nowaki could not recall the last time he had ever felt so lonely.

Nowaki picked at his dinner and then finally pushed himself away from the table. He made a plate for Hiro-san and put it with a note in the fridge. He washed the few dishes from the meal and then wandered about the apartment tidying things until it was almost time to go to work.

Before he left he decided he'd better check on the cinnamon catman one last time. Nowaki was surprised to see that the bed lay rumpled and empty. He had not heard Hiroki get up. He glanced over at the open door of the darkened bathroom and knew instantly that Hiroki was not in there. Then he looked over at the closet. A sad smile came on to his face.

Nowaki stepped over and knocked gently on the closet door.

"Go away," growled Hiroki, his voice sounded slightly slurred and still thick with sleep.

"Hiro-san, why aren't you in bed? You should still be sleeping. The doctor said you needed to get as much rest as possible. Is the apartment too bright?"

"No."

"Too loud?"

"No."

"Then what is it, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked concerned.

"Too humiliating," came Hiroki's mumbled response.

Nowaki slid the closet door open and looked down at the disheveled neko curled up at the bottom of the closet. Hiroki did not look up immediately, but eventually he lifted his head. One large russet eye remained closed against the sudden infiltration of light. The other studied Nowaki. It still looked a bit sleep-glazed, but there was a flicker of fierceness in it that warmed the young medical student's heart. Nowaki still couldn't believe Hiroki had no idea of how cute he was.

"They shaved my ear." Hiroki said miserably as he reached up and touched its denuded edge.

"Oh, Hiro-san, they had to so they could stitch it." Nowaki sighed.

"How many?

"Nine."

The eye that had been scrutinizing Nowaki closed slowly. "Damned brat!" Hiroki growled.

"Yes, Hiro-san, about that…"

Hiroki interrupted Nowaki. "Was I good?"

"What?" Nowaki asked sounding confused.

Now Hiroki was looking up at Nowaki, with both eyes open, his expression earnest. A light blush bloomed, bringing some color back into his pale cheeks. "Was I good… at the vet's, I mean?... Did I conduct myself appropriately? I can't remember… I always get so nervous there…. I remember getting undressed, but that's about it… I don't always do well when people touch my ears, you know. They're uh, rather…"

"Sensitive," Nowaki finished Hiroki's sentence as he knelt down so that he could be on eye level with the neko. He gently traced the outside edge of Hiroki's stitched ear.

Hiroki couldn't help himself. It was almost imperceptible, but he leaned ever so slightly into Nowaki's touch. Nowaki felt this and his heart melted at this display of trust from the battered neko. His sad smile flickered a moment with all the conflicting emotions he felt.

"Yes, Hiro-san, you were very good at the vet's." Nowaki soothed. The young man was glad that his long shirt sleeves hid the gauze patch on his arm that covered the neko's frantic PTSD incited scratch.

"They were worried about how painful in might be for you to get the stitches, so they gave you a shot so you would relax. You got so sleepy, you didn't even notice, so Dr. Ochi did your exam while you napped. I stayed there with you through the whole thing. The doctor said the sedative might make you a little hazy on the appointment's events, but you don't need to worry, you did very well." Nowaki had decided that his conscience could handle the tarnish of one lie if it meant preserving Hiro-san's pride.

"Really?" Hiroki asked, his eyes narrowed a bit as he regarded Nowaki. But from the moment he had met him, Nowaki had struck him as someone who was honest, almost to a fault. He decided to accept Nowaki's description of the events at the vet as they'd been relayed to him and lowered his head down in to his arms for a moment as he sighed in relief. He didn't think he could have handled it if he knew he'd added one more disgrace to the day.

"Now I have to face my students tomorrow and apologize to them while suffering the additional indignity of a naked ear," Hiroki mumbled into his folded arms.

"No, you don't, Hiro-san," Nowaki comforted, resting one of his big hands gently on Hiroki's shoulder.

"I'm not wearing a hat into my classroom, you big goof, if that's what you're going to suggest. That would look almost as ridiculous," the curled up catman growled.

"No, Hiro-san, listen," Nowaki said gently reaching in and taking Hiroki's arms. He tenderly pulled Hiroki out of the closet. Nowaki sat on the futon with his back up against the wall at its head. He moved Hiroki with him so that in the end the hybrid was sitting between hiss bent knees, the neko's back resting against his broad chest.

Nowaki wrapped his arms around Hiroki. At this point he didn't care if Hiroki loved Usami or not, he just wanted to comfort him.

"Hiro-san, Miyagi-san called while you were asleep and he talked with Shinobu-chan. He said Shinobu-chan confessed to what he had done and that the would be calling Dean Takatsuki to tell him what had really happened as soon as possible."

"Really?" Hiroki looked up over his shoulder into Nowaki's guileless blue eyes.

Nowaki looked down and smiled as he nodded. "Also, Hiro-san, Miyagi-san said he would take your classes tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about apologizing to your students just yet."

"Hrummph," Hiroki scowled as he thought about Miyagi's harassment. "He should," the neko professor grumbled, "after all, he's really the one who started the whole disaster with his teasing."

Now it was Nowaki's turn to scowl. Yes, he really was going to have to have a talk with that huge hybrid about conducting himself respectfully around Hiro-san. Then his frown disappeared as Hiroki shifted his position.

Hiroki had turned so he was sitting sideways between Nowaki's legs. Hiroki moved his legs together, bent them at the knee, and draped them over one of Nowaki's slender but powerful thighs. Seated this way, he could press the side of his head with his poor bald ear up against the man's warm and wonderfully solid chest. It was cold in the cool air of the apartment.

Normally Hiroki would be highly reluctant to do something like this, but the shot he'd received at the vet's had not entirely worn off, so in addition to still feeling sleepy, he felt dopey as well and as a result his defenses were down. At least he told himself that was his reason for clinging to Nowaki as he was.

"Hiro-san, I have to go to work in a minute." Still, Nowaki gathered Hiroki up tighter to him as he said this. He wished he didn't have to leave. Especially since this could be their last night together.

Hiroki answered this statement with a very eloquent sigh that expressed a similar sentiment.

"I made a plate for you in the refrigerator."

"Not hungry," Hiroki said into Nowaki's chest, his voice sounding very sleepy again.

"Hiro-san, you need to eat something. Dr. Ochi said you need build your strength back up and he was concerned. You seemed very underweight to him."

"That man doesn't know what he's talking about. I'm built like a tiger and just as strong," Hiroki's words sounded twice as tired and a tad slurred, but even so they carried an obvious edge of pique.

Nowaki couldn't help but chuckle lightly at how adorable the neko was in his sleepy irascibility.

"Please promise me you'll eat something, Hiro-san." Nowaki felt a subtle nod against his chest.

"Will you be in the closet when I come home?" Nowaki asked. Again he felt the barest of nods. Hiroki's breathing was becoming slow and heavy.

"Is the apartment still too humiliating?" Nowaki whispered as he tried to slide gently out from under and around the drowsy neko. He made sure to settle Hiroki into the place he'd just vacated where it would be the warmest for the neko as he pulled the covers up over the cinnamon catman's shoulder's.

"Too lonely," was Hiroki's barely conscious, barely audible whisper.

Nowaki smiled and placed a gentle kiss on Hiroki's bald ear before he slipped out of the bedroom. Closing the door he was reluctant to lose the music of Hiro-san's soft snoring. He tried to commit the sounds to memory so he could carry it with him out into the world.

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><p>A few hours later Hiroki woke up again. He drug himself out to the kitchen, his empty stomach rumbling and opened the door of the refrigerator. Inside he found the plate and Nowaki's note. It was very simple. <em>Eat good, Hiro-san. I'll be home soon. Miss you. xoxoxoxo :) Nowaki.<em>

"That guy is a giant sap," Hiroki muttered but he smiled and put the note in his pocket, rather than throw it away. The neko took his plate and sat at the dining table, where he ate his solitary meal.

It shouldn't have felt so strange to him. He had only been with Nowaki a very few days, and he'd eaten meals by himself for years with no problem. He and Akihiko rarely ate together, his first owner's schedule had been so erratic. But sitting here now, looking at the empty space across from him, Hiroki could not recall the last time he had ever felt so lonely. His tail gave a sad flip and then wrapped around one of the legs of the chair he was sitting in as if to provide some sense of anchor: his heart felt unmoored.

Hiroki picked at his dinner and then finally pushed himself away from the table. He washed the few dishes from the meal and then wandered back into the bedroom. He slipped out of his clothes and into Nowaki's nightshirt even though he had his own pajamas now.

Hiroki pulled his pillow off the bed, wrapped himself in the comforter that normally covered the futon, moved into the closet, and slid the door closed behind him. He curled himself into his corner on the floor and buried his nose in the nightshirt, breathing in the sweet smell of Nowaki and trying to commit it to memory so he could carry it with him into his dreams.

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><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**For the lovely X ( ) (I loved your gracious response as well as your gracious review) and for ( ), and Anon, as well… so I am still doing a chapter for Misaki/Akihiko, but all your cries for Egoist did not fall on deaf ears, so this chapter was a little treat for you. **

**Thanks everyone for all the reviews and the great feedback.**

**Midnight Reader- thank you for joining.**

**Shimaki-33- good point. I'll have to ponder that and see what I can do to address it.**

**Kirakrz- wonderful review as always.**

**Ichigo Kousei- thanks again for joining the party and for the great review. When I locate that neko glue I will give you a holler. Because that is one dance I would love to see.**

**ASTROZOMBIE8, Liz, Teabags, Madame Masquerade 64, can't thank you enough for your faithful reviews. They fill my day with joy!**


	36. Replacement: Romantica

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Replacement**

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><p>After the incident that morning in the bear room, Misaki had looked for a new hiding place.<p>

Ironically this ended up being in Hiroki's old room. The chocolate kitten didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before, maybe it was because this space was associated with the Kamijou cat's unpleasant memory. At any rate, Usagi-san rarely went in there and would certainly never think that his new pet might be enticed to venture into it.

One would think that encountering this new found refuge and the fact that he had been able to, as a result of his discovery, pass an entire afternoon in the apartment without being pounced by a horny rabbit would have made Misaki very happy. But it didn't, because a safe hiding place was not all that Misaki had found in Hiroki's old room.

Once Misaki had adjusted to the room's smell of old books and purple and red marking pens (colors did have different smells and the odor of red was noticeably more strident) the small chocolate hybrid had noticed an open book lying face down on Hiroki's abandoned bed. It appeared strangely out of place as everything else in the room had been put into cardboard boxes since the professorial neko's disappearance.

Akihiko had left Hiroki's journal out on the bed, where he had last sat reading his old pet's most intimate thoughts.

The journal had taken Misaki some time to decipher, partly because he had never been very good at formal Japanese and also because he was periodically distracted by hearing Usagi-san's calls for him echoing throughout the apartment. The author wanted to partake of cookies and Misaki milk, the man's currently favored afternoon snack.

Misaki knew that Kamijou-san had disliked him. This wasn't really surprising since he had been Usagi-san's first pet after all and some breeds of neko were very possessive. But there were times, despite having been bitten, when Misaki thought the older hybrid had been foolish to run away.

After all, the apartment they lived in was huge so they could have easily avoided each other most of the time and the Kamijou neko generally seemed spend most his time either at the University or sequestered away in his room reading or grading anyway.

Not to mention that Usagi-san, for all his troubling features, was incredibly generous to his pets: all the basic neko needs were met and far surpassed in ways that exceeded what most pets could ever hope for.

What was more, in short the time Misaki had been living with the two older males, as far as he had been able to tell, Usagi-san hadn't seemed to bother much with his Kamijou cat, at least not in the same way he "tormented" him. Unless his constant request of Kamijou-san to "edit" for him was a code word for rabbit sex. Still, Misaki happily hadn't seen any evidence to support such speculation.

To top it all off, the man had let Kamijou-san more or less come and go as he pleased, whereas he practically stalked him. And Usagi-san didn't even seem to be upset when Kamijou-san snapped at him (outside of that one awful instant just before the professor left). In fact, while it terrified Misaki, Usagi-san had seemed to generally find the professorial neko's occasional bouts of hissing and spitting amusing. Most owners would have punished such behavior from their hybrid severely.

Yes, it had seemed to the young Takahashi, Misaki, that the Kamijou, Hiroki, had actually had it quite plush.

That was at least until Misaki had finally managed to figure the professor's writings out.

It had already been a terrible blow to Misaki's confidence that morning when Usagi-san had told him that he was seriously considering getting Kamijou-san back, though with the multi-neko ordinance now in place Usagi-san could really have as many nekos as he wanted. Still, Misaki couldn't understand how the author could do that to him. Especially since Usagi-san had now told him numerous times that he loved him.

And while he hid constantly from his owner, mewled about hating to submit, sputtered and struggled every time the perverted silver-backed bunny tried to take him, Misaki too had come to love the man in his own way.

Misaki had spent much of his time before hiding in Hiroki's room struggling to contain his conflicted emotions since, along with his six nipples, the Takahashi neko was also bred with a high sense of selflessness. Takahashis were genetically conditioned for easy maintenance, never wanting to cause trouble for anyone and always putting the needs of others above their own desires. So, if having the Kamijou cat back would make Usagi-san happy, Misaki had known he would find a way to endure it. Not that he had a choice. Like Kamijou-san, before him, he was just a neko after all.

Finding Hiroki's diary, however, had changed the situation Misaki found himself in completely.

Misaki's ears drooped and his tail trembled. His green eyes threatened tears as he came to understand the strong feelings the Kamijou cat had harbored for Usagi-san. His kit-teen heart beat rapidly as he compared this to the fragility of his own newly-budded feelings for his owner.

The young neko's tears could not be held back, however, when he also learned from Kamijou-san's last entry how much Usagi-san had apparently loved his elder brother Takahiro. Now, on top of his greedy owner wanting two nekos, the green-eyed hybrid discovered that apparently he was really nothing more than a replacement for his brother.

Misaki's kitten heart felt like a balloon that had just been popped.

Through his tears, Misaki looked at the clock that still ticked away on the wall of Hiroki's bedroom. He suddenly realized he'd been hiding so long it was now time for him to start preparing dinner. Despite how crushed he felt, Misaki had been too well-trained that a good neko never shirked his pet duties, regardless.

The kitten wiped his wet cheeks and padded silently off down the hall, his lean tail curled dejectedly between his legs. He paused and peeked into the author's study. His owner sat at his desk, typing away on his laptop.

_"Good,"_ thought Misaki. That would at least keep the big pervert occupied, hopefully long enough for him to prepare the man's evening meal without getting molested. Maybe if he was clever enough, he could figure out a way to not have to eat with him too, though for some reason it had seemed important to Usagi-san ever since he had arrived, that he sit down at his master's table and take his meals with the man.

Misaki stifled a sniffle. Maybe every time they ate together Usagi-san had been pretending that he was eating with Takahiro. Maybe that was why he'd never made an issue of it when Kamijou-san didn't eat with him.

The kitten shuffled into the kitchen.

Unable to find him that afternoon, Akihiko had left a note on the fridge, dictating what it was he desired to consume for his evening meal: yellow eggs, sausages cut to resemble octopi, the usual crazy stuff. Misaki was of course listed under the title of "dessert."

The teenage hybrid frowned at the note. He crumpled the paper and threw it away, imagining it was his heart and set about preparing Usagi-san's dinner.

Misaki was splicing the sausages when he heard his owner slip stealthily into the kitchen. At first Misaki pretended, as he usually did, not to notice. As smart as his owner was, one might think Usagi-san would have realized that with his highly-honed hearing it was really almost impossible to sneak up on the kitten. Even if he hadn't heard him, Misaki's sensitive neko nose would have smelled his smoky owner immediately. Still, it made Usagi-san happy so Misaki had been allowing the farce to continue.

But today, the more the kitten thought about what he had read in Kamijou-san's journal, Misaki moved past his sorrow and the angrier he got. Misaki set down the knife and the sausage and quickly turned to face the stalking silver-back. He could feel his hair raise in an angry ridge between his flat ears... something he had seen happen with other Takahashi nekos but had never experienced before himself.

Akihiko's lavender eyes widened a moment in surprise and then shifted back into their usual leer.

"I could hear you from a mile away, Usagi," Misaki snapped. "Go away if you want any dinner! Touch me and you can just go hungry…" The neko had planned to say more involving going to bed without "dessert," but his confidence wavered as he watched Usagi-san's reaction. Usagi-san's countenance had changed from surprise to curious concern, which was making Misaki feel terribly guilty.

Akihiko was used to his neko's outbursts, but this one was different. It sounded like his kitten was truly angry. He found this both disturbing and intriguing.

"Misa-kitty, where were you this afternoon? I needed you and couldn't find you. You know by hiding all the time, you're really being a very bad pet. Troublesome, one could say." Akihiko studied the small hybrid closely as he said this.

Misaki looked down, unable to meet the man's piercing pale eyes. Then he balled his fists, and drew in a deep breath. "Well, you're a very bad owner Usagi! Doing things to me all the time, telling me you love me when you don't really! You suck! And not in the way that feels really good!" Misaki yelled, his fluffed tail rattled its agreement.

Both man and neko were taken aback by this outburst. Misaki fled the kitchen crying and ran out into the main room. Akihiko followed and caught the small cat by the sofa.

"Who do you think you are talking to me like that?" Akihiko asked. His voice was low and threatening.

Misaki tried desperately to pull his thin wrists out of the author's grasp, but Akihiko held him fast (not cruelly, but firmly).

"I'm no one… nothing…," Misaki sobbed, "nothing but a replacement!"

This stopped Akihiko short. "What? What are you talking about, Misaki?"

"Takahiro… my brother… You don't really care about me. I... I'm nothing but a replacement for him, right?" Misaki hiccupped.

Seeing the kitten in this state and hearing the pain in Misaki's voice touched something in Akihiko.

"Misaki," he crooned, "I may have chosen you initially because I lost Takahiro. It's true. But I want you to know now, that as far as any Takahashi neko goes, you'll always be my pick of the litter now. I love you."

"Really, Usagi-san?" Misaki asked softly.

Akihiko took the kitten's tear-stained face in his hands and kissed Misaki deeply in reply. Misaki submitted willingly for the first time to his new owner and the silver-backed rabbit proceeded to quickly make a complete mess of his hybrid right there on the sofa.

When they were finished Akihiko stood up and pulled his shirt back on and refastened his pants. He took a cigarette from the pack on the coffee table and lit up.

Misaki looked up at the man from where he lay, naked and sweating, still panting for breath on the couch, "Does this mean that you're not going to try and get Kamijou-san back either then, Usagi-san?"

The hope in the kitten's voice amused Akihiko. "Of course I'm still going to try and get him back," he chuckled.

"But after what you just said to me… and what we just did…why?" Misaki gasped.

"Ah, Misaki, you obviously don't know how to compartmentalize. You're such a kitten you wouldn't understand: the Kamijou and the Takahashi are completely different breeds, meant to address different needs…

"And besides, most importantly," Akihiko said crossing his arms and towering imposingly over the crumpled kitten, "I will bring Hiroki home now simply because I want to…

"Now, I'm going back upstairs, I have some more work to do. And you can forget that threat of making me go hungry… I think I've had enough, uh… 'dessert' to tide me over for now while you finish making dinner…. You can call me when it's done and we'll sit together at the table and eat."

Akihiko began to make his way up the stairs but he stopped midway up. "I do love you, Misaki, but love takes many forms." The author paused and looked back over his shoulder. "Oh, and by the way, after dinner, please get out the steam vac and clean that couch. We are having a guest tomorrow after all."

Misaki lay there stunned on the sofa until he heard the door to Usagi-san's study close. Then the chocolate neko began to silently sob.

Kamijou-san's decision to run away no longer seemed foolish to Misaki at all.

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><p><strong> New AN: <strong>

**X… your new slough of reviews… you still know how to make this FF writer's heart sing. Your reflections on the Egoist dynamic always brings me new insights to incorporate into new works. And I am glad that some of your lessons have sunk into my thick skull. Thank you, professor.**

**Ashley Tangerine- Darling, I love your reviews. You keep writing and I'll keep reposting. Keep this up and you may find yourself appearing in the Fangirl chapter towards the end of the story. Your discussion of the Terrorists brought me great joy and now you have a new Romantic chapter to chew on.**

**Old AN: **

**Thanks everyone for the reviews... So glad you liked yesterday's update. I have family visiting the next few days, so I will probably not be posting tomorrow. I will try to get the Nowaki/Hiroki, Akihiko/Misaki confrontation written and up sometime this weekend.**

**X( )- as always your reviews make my heart sing.**

**Madame Masquerade 64- I loved your comment. Yours too - FreshPrinceLover.**

**Teabags- you know you're one of my faves!**

**Lastbloom-lovely to hear from you, yeah, sweet and sad is kind of a specialty of mine.**

**Midoritenchi90-hope you are not too disturbed by my dark Akihiko, I sense you are a Romantica fan.**

**Ichigo Kousei- I will take your suggestion seriously under consideration. It does sound like fun, so keep your eye out. You may see that scenario coming up at some point.**

**Midnight Reader-glad you're up to speed, hope your enthusiasm continues.**

**Rubymonkey and NocturnalOtaku, thanks for adding me to your favorite stories list, hope you'll consider dropping a review sometime.**


	37. Police: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Police**

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><p>Nowaki arrived home in the early morning hours. He quietly slid open the closet door and looked lovingly down at the soundly-sleeping Hiroki. When he noticed that Hiro-san was wearing his night shirt, his heart skipped a beat. For a moment Nowaki wished he was small enough that he could crawl into the closet and curl around the cinnamon neko but instead he closed the door softly, not wanting to wake the hybrid, pulled off his work clothes, and crawled into bed.<p>

Nowaki wanted desperately to be able to sleep so that he would be sharp for their appointment later that day with Usami, but things had been very distressing at the hospital last night and his anxiety was keeping him awake.

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><p>It wasn't just that there had been a lot of activity on the ward: the night had brought with it several emergencies. It was also that the police had been there at the hospital that evening asking questions about Tsumori.<p>

One of the nurses had pointed Nowaki out to the police. An officer had come and talked to him while he was in the locker room changing into his medical smock.

"Excuse me, sir, are you Kusama Nowaki?" the officer asked.

"I am," Nowaki replied, feeling a tight knot forming in the pit of his stomach as he bowed.

The policeman nodded in return. "Ah, yes, I am Officer Sato and I wonder if I might have a moment of your time?"

"Certainly, officer, but would you mind terribly if I kept getting ready? I don't want to be late for my rounds."

"Fine, fine, I certainly understand," Officer Sato said. "It's just that I'd like to ask you a few questions. Could you please tell me, do you know Tsumori Kahori?"

Nowaki couldn't help but grin at hearing Tsumori's full name. Seeing the officer's serious face he quickly bowed in apology. "Please excuse me. I am unused to hearing Senpai's full name spoken so clearly. He never allows anyone to use his first name: Kahori is a girl's name, and it embarrasses him immensely. The nurses tease about it behind his back.

"Ah," Sato hummed at this explanation. "So, Kusama-san, it seems you know a bit about your senpai."

"Well, we know each other mostly through work." Nowaki answered.

"Did you ever spend time together outside of the hospital?"

"Well, we have gone out in groups with other interns occasionally. I went over to his house on Thursday night to watch a baseball game with him, but that was the first time I'd ever been over to his apartment or spent any real time alone with him outside the hospital, " Nowaki answered truthfully. He knew he couldn't lie, he was terrible at it.

"How did he seem to you that evening?" Sato took out a small notebook and pen and began taking notes.

"Well, he was pretty upset that his team lost and he drank quite a bit," Nowaki said. "I left him not long after the game ended."

"Did you see him at work on Saturday evening?" Sato asked.

"No, Officer Sato. I don't wish to be critical of my senior, but Tsumori-senpai is often late to work, so I don't always see him here in the locker room before I start. And there are many times when things are busy and then depending on where I am working in the hospital that night… well, we sometimes don't see each other, though our shifts are often the same." All of this was true, so this was also easy for Nowaki to say.

"So Thursday night was the last time you saw him?

"Um… no, I saw him Friday as well. Excuse me, Officer Sato, but can you tell me what this is about. I mean is everything okay?" Nowaki hoped he did not look as suspicious as he felt when he asked this.

Sato did not immediately answer as he looked intently at Nowaki. "So you saw him Friday, huh? Here at the hospital?"

"No. I saw him at his home again."

"Oh, really? Can you please tell me, Kusama-san, when and why?

"That afternoon and I went to buy a neko from him."

"Neko, eh?"

"Yes, Tsumori-senpai showed me the neko the previous evening. Senpai did not seem to really want him, so I offered to buy him. I came back to pay for Hiro-san and collect him," Nowaki said.

"The neko's name is Hiro-san?"

Nowaki shrugged and grinned a bit sheepishly, "Well, that's what I call him. He is a Kamijou cat and his name is actually Hiroki."

Now it was Sato's turn to shrug, he had heard a lot weirder pet names than that he supposed. Still, he made a note of this. "And do you have this neko now?"

"Yes, he's at my apartment."

"And Kusama-san, do you mind if I ask what condition this 'Hiro-san' was in?"

"Not good, Officer Sato," Nowaki admitted, "that was why I wanted to buy him. I don't like to see any living creature suffer. "

Officer Sato had a soft spot for hybrids, nekos particularly: he owned quite a number of rescues himself. He sighed at the intern's disclosure. He studied Nowaki carefully. Though he had not been on the force long, Sato considered himself already to be a good judge of character. Kusama had a good energy about him and the young man seemed to be telling the truth. Besides, what he said certainly coincided with the information he'd received from the neighbors.

"Well, Kusama-san, Tsumori-san did not show up to work on Saturday evening. Yesterday he had the day off, but he missed an earlier shift he was scheduled to work this afternoon so one of the nurses called us. She said his attendance at work had been a bit sporadic lately."

"Ah, yes, I know," Nowaki said, "I often cover for him when our shifts don't overlap."

Sato hummed at this and then nodded, "We went out to the man's apartment and there were signs of struggle but the apartment was empty. I am glad to know the neko is with you. The neighbors said Tsumori-san was abusive to his pet, though they had been afraid to report it. It seems that many of them were afraid of Tsumori-san and were worried that, from the sounds they heard, as well as the type of people coming and going from the apartment, there may have been a criminal element present there too. To be honest most of his neighbors seemed quite relieved to think that your senpai might be gone permanently."

Nowaki frowned at this information,but not for the reason Officer Sato thought. It made Nowaki terribly upset to think other people knew how Hiro-san was being treated and had done nothing to try and protect the battered professor.

Sato chewed on the end of his pen thoughtfully for a moment. "Do you know, Kusama-san, if your senior gambled at all? Did he say anything about a bet perhaps when he was upset with losing the baseball game?"

"No," Nowaki said. Then, though he wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not he mentioned that there had been two men present when he had first arrived on Friday. "They looked a bit rough and they wanted to take the neko. Apparently Senpai had already spoken to them about wanting to sell Hiro-san," Nowaki said. "I am glad I got to Senpai's home when I did, as in the end, he sold Hiro-san to me. I can bring you his papers if you'd like to see them."

Sato shook his head. "I don't think that will be necessary at the moment."

Nowaki nodded and continued. I will say the men didn't seem very happy about Senpai selling to me, but they eventually left. Though they did say that they would be back. Tsumori-senpai told me, however, that they weren't anything he couldn't handle." That last bit was a lie and it made Nowaki nervous to say it.

"Could you describe the two men to me?" Officer Sato asked his eyes gleamed with interest.

Nowaki did, giving as clear a picture of the two knackers as he could. When he mentioned the tattoos on the mens' hands, Officer Sato quickly became excited.

"Thank you, Kusama-san. This information has been quite helpful." Sato snapped his notebook shut signaling the end of their interview. "You know you probably saved that Kamijou's life.

"I may need to speak with your pet later though if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Nowaki said. Though the thought of the police questioning Hiro-san made him very uneasy, Nowaki gave Sato his information and took a card from the policeman with his information on it as well.

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><p>Remembering all this as he lay tucked in his bed now, Nowaki let out a long, worried breath.<p>

He wondered if it might not be better for Hiro-san to be with Usami-sensei once again. Especially if he ended up getting in trouble for thrashing Tsumori, if the police ever discovered the truth about what had really happened. At last, however, sleep began to overtake Nowaki, though his troubled thoughts carried over into troubled dreams.

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><p>A few hours later the closet door slid open and a wild cinnamon-brown head with a pert, naked ear peeked out. Hiroki looked over at Nowaki sleeping on the bed.<p>

_"Why didn't that idiot wake me up so I could join him?"_ Hiroki thought, though the fact that he thought this made him blush just a bit. Then he frowned and his ears lowered slightly. Perhaps Nowaki hadn't wanted to sleep with him since he would be going back to Akihiko's today. This possibility made Hiroki's ears flatten even more.

Hiroki slipped quietly out of the bedroom, into the bathroom and started the water in the tub. He liked that being a neko he could see really well in the dark.

The hybrid decided he would get ready to go and then make Nowaki breakfast. Hiroki knew he wasn't the best cook, but it was the least he could do for the man after all the trouble he'd gone through for him. Hiroki wished he was a really good cook, then he would have something more to entice Nowaki to keep him than… than what?

Hiroki realized he couldn't think of a single thing he had to offer Nowaki. Well, there was the man's delusional assertion of his cuteness. Then Hiroki turned the light on in the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror and cringed. With his crazy cinnamon mane, healing but still slightly swollen eye, and ridiculous shaved ear, right now he obviously couldn't even offer Nowaki that this morning.

For one wild moment, a small voice in Hiroki's head whispered, "You could offer him your love."

"Gaaaahhh!" Hiroki cried and then clapped his paws over his mouth. He hoped his exclamation did not wake Nowaki. Looking in the mirror the hybrid could see that he now had a bright red face to add to all his other defects.

Hiroki turned away and slipped into the bath. _"Offer him love? What kind of schoolgirl world do you live in, you ridiculous feline?"_ He berated himself. _"And how pathetic would that make you sound?"_ It would probably seem to Nowaki like he was begging, and only dogs begged, or if a cat ever did, it would certainly never be a Kamijou… Still…

Hiroki pinched his nose with his fingers and slipped into the silence under the water. He wondered if there was any way, without killing himself that he could manage to drown his pride.

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><p>Nowaki awoke a bit later to the pleasant aromas of Hiroki's breakfast. (The neko was actually really not a bad cook; he just didn't have any confidence in his abilities.) Nowaki stretched, got up and stepped out into the apartment's main room.<p>

He stood there for a minute watching Hiro-san. Hiroki's brow was wearing a furrow of concentration as he stirred the vegetables simmering in a small pan on the stove. Despite his declaration about hats the previous day, Hiroki had found a knitted cap in among the items Nowaki had purchased for him and had pulled this down on his head trapping his unruly cinnamon brown hair and obscuring his shaved ear underneath it.

Seeing the neko dressed casually in a crisp tee-shirt and jeans and wearing the knitted beanie, if it wasn't for the tail that twitched up contemplatively behind him on occasion, at the moment with his cat ears hidden, Hiro-san otherwise looked pretty much completely human and absolutely, incredibly, adorable.

Nowaki turned and ducked into the bathroom quickly before the neko saw him. He suddenly needed to take a long cold shower. Standing under the water with his teeth chattering, Nowaki knew that if the start to his morning was any indication, today was going to be a very "hard" day.

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><p>When Nowaki had finally finished showering and gotten ready for the day, he came back out and found that Hiroki had set the table and laid out what looked like a wonderful breakfast. Nowaki was quite touched that Hiro-san had gone to all this trouble.<p>

Hiroki touched the edge of the cap he was wearing self-consciously and looked up rather shyly at Nowaki. His huge russet eyes looked unsure.

"I made breakfast for you. I hope it's okay… I uh, just really wanted to say thank you for all you've done for me, Nowaki."

Nowaki smiled at the nervous neko. Though he'd only had it a few days, how he would ever live now without this daily fix of cuteness was beyond him. "It looks wonderful, Hiro-san, thank you and I would do it all over a hundred times more for you if I could."

Hiroki blushed furiously at such a sentimental declaration and even more because he had no doubt that what Nowaki said was true. He only wished he could be so bold. "You shouldn't say such embarrassing… things, you big goof," was all he managed to say instead.

Nowaki smiled even wider, "You are so cute, Hiro-san."

"And you're a delusional giant. How tall are you anyways? Such height should be illegal," Hiroki muttered, putting his hand to his beanie to make sure his frantically spasming ears didn't dislodge it.

"One hundred and eighty-six centimeters," Nowaki offered placidly as the pair sat down together at the table.

After a quick blessing they began to eat. Hiroki watched Nowaki with great intensity as the man got ready to take his first bite. "careful, Nowaki. It might be hot still," Hiroki warned. "If it's too hot I can blow on it for you and make it cooler." Hiroki winced and turned red._ What an idiotic thing to say, you dumb-ass! _He thought to himself.

Nowaki chuckled lightly at the sweetness of the neko's offer which just made things worse. He watched in amusement as Hiroki's ears continued to twitched in embarrassment under the fabric of his cap. He would have made a cheeky suggestive comeback if this had been any other day.

He put a bite of food in his mouth instead to still his tongue. "Not too hot, Hiro-san, just right," Nowaki said once his mouth was empty again.

Hiroki tasted his food and made a face. It tasted off to him. He looked at Nowaki apologetically, who looked back at him puzzled. "It tastes wrong."

"I think it tastes fine, quite good in fact," Nowaki said taking another bite.

"No, I'm sorry, Nowaki, you shouldn't eat it, it's bad, I apologize, but thank you for being polite," Hiroki pushed his plate away as he said this.

"I'm not being polite, Hiro-san," Nowaki said earnestly, "I think it's really good."

"You're always being too nice, Nowaki, really I should just throw this all in the trash," Hiroki sounded frustrated and started to get up from the table.

Nowaki put his large warm hand over the hybrid's one. "Hiro-san, I wish you'd believe me. I'm telling the truth. Why is that so difficult for you to believe?"

Hiroki sat down again, he did not want to cause conflict their last morning together. He looked at Nowaki contentedly eating his terrible breakfast. Of course, Hiroki realized, Nowaki also said he was cute, so really what did the idiot know about taste?

Still, Hiroki knew in this moment, without a doubt, he loved him.

"Ummm, Nowaki…" Hiroki took a deep breath. He could tell Nowaki this, he knew it.

"Yes, Hiro-san?" Nowaki looked back at him with that ever-present smile and an expression of amused inquiry.

"If the weather is nice enough, do you think we can walk most of the way to Akihiko's?" Hiroki wished he could bite his own ear right now. _How in the hell had that come out of my mouth? What kind of declaration was that?_

Hiroki watched as the smile on Nowaki's face flickered for just an instant. "Of course, Hiro-san, I would love to be able to walk with you."

"Oh… good," Hiroki said softly looking down at his plate.

Nowaki looked at Hiroki. The neko wasn't eating. He thought perhaps Hiro-san was nervous about going to see Usami-san. Nowaki gazed down at his own plate. _Or perhaps he was too…excited._

"Hiro-san."

"Yes, Nowaki?" Large russet eyes looked up hopefully from across the small table.

Usually he was so direct and had no trouble expressing his feelings, but today Nowaki found himself uncharacteristically at a loss, "Maybe we should plan to take an umbrella just in case. That way we can walk, regardless of the weather?" A rare frown crossed Nowaki's handsome face. _"Where had that come from?"_

Hiroki's eyes lost their shine. he nodded, "that sounds reasonable." Beneath his cap his ears had grown unusually still.

The pair spent the rest of their last meal together in silence.

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><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**Note: I made up Tsumori's first name, it is a Japanese girl's name and I picked it (though I've no idea what it means) because it rhymed and thought that was a bit funny.**

**Now the important stuff! THANK YOU everyone for all the reviews. I can't believe this story has hit three hundred. Simply Emotional, what a wonderful review to hit the 300 mark with!**

**And to everyone who had signed in, you are all AMAZING! I have been so overwhelmed with the quality of the feedback and the level of enthusiasm in the reviews lately, you all keep me going!**

**Shimaki-33, thank you for making your point about Tsumori, this exchange between Sato and Nowaki will tie into the plot later.**

**Teabags-please send me a pm and tell me what you think is going to happen to Hiroki, I'd love to hear what your brilliant mind has been envisioning.**

**RubyMonkey, thanks for the shout out and Kiyo12 thank you for joining the party.**

**Glad you all seem to be enjoying "dark" Akihiko, because you all will be seeing him tomorrow sometime. **

**EEEEEEEHEEEEEEEHEEEEEE! (evil text laugh).**


	38. Apology: Egoist, Romantica

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Thirty Eight: Apology**

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><p>Nowaki was surprised when they left his apartment that Hiroki immediately took his hand.<p>

"Hiro-san?" He looked questioningly at the catman.

Hiroki turned bright red, but did not release his grip. "Well, you don't have a leash after all," he replied awkwardly.

"Oh, Hiro-san, you're not someone that needs to be leashed," Nowaki assured.

Hiroki turned away, his red cheeks growing even hotter. "I know that, you goof. Just don't let go, okay," he huffed.

Nowaki beamed in response when he realized that Hiroki was saying this because he wanted to hold his hand.

Though it looked like a storm might be moving in, late that Tuesday morning the temperature was still mild, so excluding one short train ride, Hiroki and Nowaki walked most of the way to the neko's old home. The closer they got to Akihiko's the more nervous Nowaki became: this was a very expensive part of Tokyo. The author was obviously even richer than he had imagined.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Nowaki asked in his growing discomfort.

"Of course we are. I lived here for years, don't you think I know where I'm going?" As soon as the neko saw the sad look his statement brought to Nowaki's face, he immediately regretted it. "But don't be nervous, Nowaki, you're just as good as any of these people." Then he added under his breath so that Nowaki couldn't hear, "actually even better."

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><p>Once they reached the building, Akihiko buzzed the two up. The author opened the door himself.<p>

Strangely, Akihiko was dressed slightly less formally than usual. The man wore a dark purple cashmere sweater that brought out his startling lavender eyes wonderfully and his usual tie was noticeably absent. Hiroki wondered if Akihiko had dressed this way so that he would seem more approachable to Nowaki, or to torment him. He had always asserted Akihiko looked better when his appearance was a bit more relaxed.

Regardless, the months he had been absent had obviously been good for the author. Under Misaki's diligent care and good cooking, the man looked sleek and healthy for a change. His silver hair was shinier, his complexion (aided by his daily consumption of Misaki milk) was smooth and glowing. The only imperfection in fact, that Hiroki could see, was the small faint pick scar, high on Akihiko's right cheekbone from where he had scratched him before he'd ran away.

Hiroki took one look at Akihiko and then immediately dropped his head. He was beside himself with shame. He bowed low, his humiliation about his past rash action seared him and his time with Tsumori came rushing back. "Usami-sama," he greeted humbly.

"Ahhh, Hiroki," Akihiko purred, he wrapped his voice around his long lost neko. "No need for such formality." He surprised Hiroki by reaching out and taking one of his "lost" pet's hands. He pulled the cinnamon catman into the apartment.

Hiroki felt himself grow hotter still under his previous owner's cool touch. He was distressed to find he felt emotions he thought he'd put aside begin to stir as he breathed in Akihiko's scent.

Nowaki was inadvertently pulled into the apartment as well since Hiroki had still not let go of the young medical student's hand.

Akihiko noticed this, as well as the stiffness of his old pet's body at his touch. He released the neko professor and stepped back. He looked appraisingly at the tall man still holding Hiroki's other hand.

Akihiko dipped slightly at the waist; he put on his best book-signing smile. "You must be Kusama Nowaki, so lovely to make your acquaintance at last. I can't tell you how delighted I am to see my wayward neko again after all these months."

Nowaki returned the greeting with a stiff bow made just a bit awkward by holding Hiroki's hand. "I am glad we have this chance to meet, Usami-san." Nowaki had been studying the man with a similar scrutiny. His recently activated seme senses were being mightily triggered by the older alpha male.

Akihiko had felt his hackles rise as he studied Hiroki's seme. While it was clear to him that the young man was relatively untried, his energy was clear and very strong. He knew that the handsome, pleasant-looking tall youth in front of him should not be underestimated.

Though he did not show it, Akihiko was also disturbed by the obvious connection between his old pet and the man with him. He looked down at where the pair's hands joined. "Hiroki, I'm surprised. I never figured you for someone who liked public displays of affection," he said drily, just a hint of disdain in his voice.

At this, Hiroki pulled his hand sharply out of Nowaki's and stuck it in the pocket of the jeans he was wearing. "Nowaki just didn't have a leash is all," Hiroki growled as his dimming cheeks turned bright pink again.

Akihiko's eyes roamed possessively over the hybrid in front of him. He'd forgotten how much he enjoyed making the Kamijou blush. Though he'd never said anything to the catman before, Akihiko had long thought Hiroki, in a rather unmanageable way, was a handsome hybrid. He noticed that in the cap and regular street clothes Hiroki was wearing, the cinnamon neko really looked far younger than his years. Akihiko realized approvingly that this very much suited his present predilection for youth.

It was obvious from the look of Hiroki, however, that the time out of his first owner's care had been rough. Akihiko noted that the hybrid's lean form was even lighter than it had been previously. This lent a lovely air of fragility to the cinnamon catman. Hiroki's russet eyes seemed larger too, and there was a new expression in them that was intriguing. It was also apparent from the lingering bruise on Hiroki's pale cheek and the slight swelling under one eye that there had been other physical difficulties as well.

Though Hiroki had immediately puffed up at his comment, Akihiko's strong seme senses intuited that the professor's normally marginal sense of self was even more precarious than it had been. While the Kamijou cat's ineffable pride had always been both pleasurable and irksome to Akihiko, this new vulnerability was incredibly attractive. The potential to either build or break Hiroki, the author realized, could provide so many opportunities for entertainment.

"You must have changed quite a bit in your absence then, Hiroki," Akihiko drawled, "I never knew you as a neko who needed to be leashed before."

Before Hiroki could fire back a retort, Nowaki stepped in seeking to salvage the neko's pride. "Ah, Usami-san, that was at my request. I don't like to use leashes but I want to make sure that Hiro-san, uh, Kamijou-san stays close by when we travel. He agreed to hold hands for my comfort, not his."

"Hiro-san?" Akihiko's eyebrow arched at the nickname knowing how particular the professor was about language.

"And when did you suddenly become concerned with other people's comfort, Hiroki?" Akihiko asked teasingly.

Hiroki thought of all the ways he'd bent in his life to show his love to the man standing before him. _I was always concerned for your comfort_, _Akihiko. _Rather than say anything, however, Hiroki just dropped his eyes and turned a deeper shade of scarlet. He ignored Akihiko's question. "Where's Misaki-kun?" he asked trying desperately to change the topic of conversation.

"Ah, yes, Misaki," Akihiko frowned. "Let me go fetch him, I'm sure he won't want to miss this reunion." For some reason the author glanced down at his watch . "Ah, Kusama-san, please come in and make yourself comfortable, I'll only be a moment."

As soon as Akihiko climbed the stairs Hiroki took off his shoes, moved over to one of the couches in the spacious front room and sat down. Nowaki slipped out of his shoes as well and set them carefully against the wall. He looked around in awe as he followed the hybrid into the apartment's main space. "Wow, this is a big place, Hiro-san."

_How in the world can I ever compete with this?_

He looked down at the catman seated on the couch. Hiroki was holding his tail with one paw while stroking the tip of it with the other. Nowaki knew that this was a sign of stress for the neko.

"Too big," Hiroki said simply, but in his mind he added: t_oo bright, too loud, too humiliating, too lonely._

Hearing this made Nowaki immediately smile and his uneasiness diminished. He sat down beside Hiroki. "Hiro-san…" he started to say.

Just then Akihiko came back leading a very unhappy Misaki behind him on a leash. The kitten looked slightly disheveled and his eyes were very red, as though he had been crying.

Nowaki's eyes widened at the sight: that Usami had been forced to leash his neko in the house made him very uncomfortable.

Akihiko picked up on this immediately. He looked at Nowaki, "I'm sorry about the leash, Kusama-san. Hiroki can tell you I very rarely use them, but Misaki has been very reluctant to come out today and I don't want him dashing off," he explained. "Poor kitten has taken to hiding. He's so scared of the Kamijou, after their unfortunate altercation."

"Am not," Misaki mumbled, he glowered at the author. Then he saw Hiroki sitting there and unconsciously took a step back behind Akihiko.

"Yes," Nowaki said, looking at the uncomfortable kitten with compassion. "Hiro-san, I mean Kamijou-san did tell me that he had bitten your… um, Misaki-kun."

"Did he?" Akihiko looked surprised. He sat down on the couch, pulling Misaki down with him. He grabbed the kitten and slid him on to his lap.

"Usagi-san, you… let me go!" Misaki puffed as he squirmed, trying to get out of the author's grasp. His cheeks were bright pink. The small chocolate cat was humiliated by being handled like this in front of company. Misaki immediately stopped fighting however and became perfectly still, his head bowed, when the author pulled the shirt down off his thin shoulder revealing the scars of three terrible bite marks. Despite nekos' general tendency for rapid healing, the marks were still bright pink against Misaki's pale flesh.

A small sob of embarrassment escaped the kitten.

"They got quite infected, you know, Kusama-san. Misaki had to stay at the vet's for three weeks. I was with him most of that time. That was one of the reasons I didn't look for you perhaps quite as well as I should have, Hiroki," Akihiko said coolly, turning his pale eyes on a mortified looking Hiroki.

Akihiko then addressed Nowaki again. "The Kamijou cat has quite a temper, but it looks as though you already know this." He motioned with his head towards Nowaki's arm. Nowaki's shirt sleeve had ridden up slightly and the gauze patch covering the scratch Hiroki had given him the previous day at the vet's had become visible.

Hiroki, who had been hanging his head in disgrace over what he'd done to the poor Misaki kitten, looked over and saw this. The professor was aghast. "Nowaki," he whispered trying to keep the tremor out of his voice, "I scratched you? But you said I'd been good."

"You were good, and you _are_ good, Hiro-san," Nowaki said gently.

Looking into Nowaki's kind eyes and hearing the conviction in the man's words gave Hiroki courage; he knew what he needed to do. Though his cheeks were hot with embarrassment, he reached up and carefully pulled the cap off of his head, revealing his shaved stitched ear. He stood and bowed to Misaki.

Seeing this act of deference from the older neko, Misaki blushed and tried to stand too, but Akihiko held his lap-bound kitten firmly in place, ignoring Misaki's discomfort.

Hiroki saw this and knew Akihiko was doing this to show his unhappiness with how he, as his first pet, had behaved. He also knew Akihiko was probably testing him to see if this shift in status would incite him to act out again. Despite how this cut him, Hiroki proceeded.

"Misaki-kun, I've had some experience with bites in the time I've been gone." Hiroki said this slowly, his voice gravelly with emotion. "It was an awful thing that I did to you. And to you, Akihiko, by scratching you. There is no excuse for my poor behavior."

Then Hiroki took a deep breath and added softly, "I'd like to apologize especially to you, Misaki-kun, hearing how much you suffered as a result of my thoughtlessness. I don't expect this now, but I hope that someday you might find yourself able to forgive me."

Misaki had looked over at the Kamijou when Hiroki had started talking and had been shocked by the sight of the other neko's mauled ear. He heard the contrition in Hiroki's voice and, despite what he had been feeling, found himself moved.

The chocolate kitten shrugged his shirt back up on his shoulder and wiped a new drop from his tear-tired eyes. He squirmed trying to stand up again, but once more Usagi-san held him tightly in place. Misaki bowed as much as he could from where he sat on Usagi-san's lap.

"Ummm… Thank you, Kamijou-san, but I'm quite well now. I hope you haven't been worrying about what happened… I am sure there was a reason you acted as you did and I'm sorry for anything I may have done to upset you. You are the first pet, after all."

Misaki's voice was weighted with emotion. Even though he had been very hurt, he knew now that the other neko had suffered in many ways, both before and after the attack. This understanding, as well as being a Takahashi, made him feel great empathy for Usagi-san's first pet.

"And it really wasn't as awful as Usagi-san said," Misaki murmured trying to soothe the older neko while avoiding Hiroki's troubled russet gaze. "They were very nice at the vet's and it gave me a good chance to rest." He looked up angrily at his horny rabbit. While he wasn't allowed up, Misaki could tell Usagi-san was getting a "rise" from having him on his lap.

Akihiko had been carefully watching the exchange between the two pets. He smiled, ignoring the kitten's accusing look and was pleased with Hiroki's contrition and Misaki's acceptance of Hiroki's apology. He ruffled Misaki's head, laughing when the kitten tried to bat his hand away.

Like Misaki, he'd been taken aback by the appalling state of Hiroki's ear, but even more disconcerting was his old pet's apology. Akihiko didn't think he could ever remember the Kamijou cat accepting his fault so easily for anything in the entire time he'd known him.

Akihiko wondered what all had happened to Hiroki while he was gone that could have affected such an amazing transformation. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Nowaki, he couldn't understand what the other big seme was beaming about.

_Was Kusama-san the reason for the changes in Hiroki?_ If he was honest with himself, this thought made Akihiko jealous. _Still, if these changes stick, and Misaki and Hiroki have truly made amends, it will certainly be easier when both are back in this household._

In the meantime, across from the author, Nowaki sat glowing with pride at how well Hiroki had done with his apology. He knew how difficult it must have been, knowing the catman's pride.

Hiroki glanced over at Nowaki as he straightened and Nowaki looked back at him with such warmth the cinnamon neko, despite how miserable he'd just felt, couldn't help but respond with a tiny bit of a smile.

Akihiko saw this and frowned. "Misa-kitty," he said releasing his lap captive, "why don't you go and make us some tea so the adults can talk."

Misaki got up immediately, glad to be released, and bowed again to Hiroki before he padded off obediently to the kitchen. Still upset by all the recent events he'd experienced with his owner, however, he muttered under his breath as he left, "Stupid Usagi, I'm not an infant, you know."

Hiroki heard this and smiled at Misaki's pluck. Maybe there was hope for the kitten. Emboldened, his apology to Misaki having been made, Hiroki decided to tease Akihiko a bit. "Aren't you afraid he's going to dash off and hide from you again?"

Akihiko waited until the chocolate kitten was out of earshot. He picked a pack of cigarettes up off the table, slid one out, lit it, and took a deep drag. "Not any more I'm not," he smiled slyly. "I gave Misaki a new collar today. It arrived in the mail earlier this morning. It has a tracking device in it."

He showed Hiroki and Nowaki the watch he was wearing. "This watch has a monitor feature so that I can know where he is at all times now, as long as his collar is on. And, I locked it so he can't take it off himself nor can anyone else... not easily anyways." Akihiko was obviously pleased. "I know his exact location now, whether it is just here in the apartment or anywhere outside up to one hundred miles away."

"A very handy feature if one's pet has a tendency to wander." Akihiko shot Hiroki a significant look, getting back at him for the jibe.

Hiroki shifted uncomfortably. "Yes… about that," the neko professor stammered. Hiroki's cheeks had been so hot all morning from blushing he felt as though he was sunburned. He sank down stiffly from where he stood and knelt in front of the author, offering him a low bow so that his forehead was not far from the floor. His ears were flat and his tail was respectfully curled under and still.

"Akihiko-sama, in addition to causing harm to your other pet, I am sorry that I ran away… Despite whatever my rationale was at the time… It was disgraceful behavior... un-befitting the lowest hybrid. I took myself out of your care unjustly. As your first pet I should have set an example for Misaki-kun. Please accept my deepest apology."

Akihiko watched Hiroki choke on almost every word he uttered. He knew the Kamijou cat's pride must be suffering immeasurably. He found he rather liked this new repentant hybrid perhaps even more than the old quarrelsome professor he'd always found so challenging.

"Ah yes, well that's why we're all here, isn't it, Hiroki?" Akihiko was not about to be as amenable as Misaki. It had been quite inconvenient, Hiroki's absence. First there was that ordeal with the vet and poor Misaki and then without his in-house editor, his writing had suffered as well and he'd been forced to endure even more histrionics from his real editor, Aikawa, than usual. "Rather bothersome you being gone so long that I lost my rights to you, Hiroki."

Hiroki looked down chagrined. Then his bald ear flickered. Though still kneeling he straightened slightly. "You could have come and gotten me anytime from the University, Akihiko-sama," Hiroki said softly, but there was a growling edge to his voice he could not disguise. He hadn't intended to talk back, but he couldn't help himself. "It wasn't as though I was really hiding from you."

Akihiko's eyes narrowed as he studied Hiroki. He leaned back into the sofa and exhaled a long plume of smoke. "Enough with the '-sama' and get up." Hiroki's words hit the author in a deep place. While it was true, Hiroki had not behaved as a good pet should, Akihiko knew that even in his worry over Misaki he should have made a much greater effort to recover Hiroki. He had considered the hybrid more than a mere pet at times. Had he been a decent friend he would have gone after Hiroki, as upset as the professor had been. Having read the Kamijou cat's diary now, Akihiko knew he was also not without fault in other ways too, though he would never admit it.

"I honestly thought that you'd come to your senses sooner, Hiroki, and come back on your own," Akihiko shot back. "You're such an emotional creature at times, Old Cat. I was sure if I'd showed up at the University, there would be a big scene. I thought we both could do without that kind of embarrassment," Akihiko paused a moment to allow this to sink in. "I truly believed by my actions I was showing you a kindness, Hiroki." Akihiko watched the slight puff of righteousness in his old pet's posture deflate.

Hiroki rose silently and moved back to sit on the sofa. _Your kindness has been killing me almost as long as I have known you. _Hiroki looked over at Nowaki. He had been aware that the man had averted his eyes from his bow to Akihiko and had sensed it was out of consideration, not condemnation. _Now I know what true kindness is. _Hiroki took his lean tail between his hands and considered his new knowledge.

Akihiko had seen Hiroki's glance at Nowaki and it increased his lust to possess his former neko again even more. Lavender eyes switched over to Nowaki. "So how much?"

Nowaki offered a supportive nod to Hiroki before turning back to Akihiko. "Oh, I didn't plan to sell Kamijou-san to you, Usami-san," he said evenly.

Now both Akihiko and Hiroki were staring at Nowaki in open surprise. Hiroki's ears were perked straight forward.

"What are you talking about, Kusama-san?" Akihiko asked. "You said on the phone you didn't feel right keeping him, knowing that he'd run away, even though you paid for him. Surely you aren't just going to give him to me?"

"Nowaki…" Hiroki was shocked at what Akihiko was saying. He realized that when Nowaki had said he didn't plan to sell him that he'd held the barest hope this meant Nowaki still wanted him. Now he knew for sure though that he would not be leaving with the man. He thought about Nowaki's simple, spare apartment, the man's multiple jobs and his studies, and how much his rescuer had spent to save him.

"If you're going to give me back, you should at least recover what you paid. That was all of your savings. I can pay Akihiko back with what's left in my account and from my salary for teaching later."

Nowaki smiled at Hiroki, "No, Hiro-san, I don't want to give you back either."

"What?" Now Hiroki was really confused.

"So then why did you arrange this meeting?" Akihiko demanded. _"What in the hell is this crazy man wasting my time for."_

"Well," Nowaki said, "I knew that Hiro-san, I mean Kamijou-san wouldn't feel right in himself until he had the opportunity to apologize for what had happened between the three of you. I also know that you and Kamijou-san had been together quite a long time and that there had perhaps been some misunderstandings, so I wanted you both to have a chance to clear things up."

Nowaki took a deep breath, and plunged on, despite the fact his heart had suddenly started beating very hard, "And, I wanted to give Kamijou-san the chance to choose where he wanted to live… and, who he wanted to live with, after you both had a chance to talk."

"What? You mean you're willing to leave a matter of ownership up to a hybrid?" Akihiko asked incredulously.

Hiroki frowned at Akihiko's indication that a hybrid was incapable of making such a decision. But as Nowaki's words and the import of what the man said truly sunk in, he turned and just stared at Nowaki, speechless.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean, Usami-san. You did lose your legal right to Kamijou-san, that's true, but that doesn't mean that you don't still own him. I don't feel it's right for me to keep Kamijou-san if he still belongs to you... in any way." Nowaki turned from Akihiko and addressed Hiroki with his next words.

"But do I feel that Kamijou-san should be the one who determines where it is he belongs and who he truly belongs to." Nowaki had a huge lump in his throat as he said this. For the first time since he'd encountered the neko, he couldn't bring himself to look at Hiroki.

Akihiko stared at the pair on the couch opposite him. To him, the tall man's honorable inclinations, while admirable, were also foolish.

_Well, if Kusama-san is so stupid as to open himself up to the chance to lose his new pet..._

Akihiko jumped in before Hiroki had a chance to say anything. He wanted Hiroki badly now. He had never been good at letting go of things: he needed Hiroki back… Akihiko recalled all he had read in the professorial hybrid's journal. He felt quite confident, after the length of time he'd known Hiroki that he could relatively easily snap any recent attachment that had formed between his old pet and this new owner.

"Well, I must say, Kusama-san," Akihiko purred, "it is refreshing to encounter someone with such an open and equitable mindset. Of course Hiroki should be able to choose. But there are a few things I would like to say to him first, before he makes his decision. Clear up those misunderstandings you alluded to…

"If Hiroki is willing, that is." Akihiko looked over at the still-stunned hybrid.

He smiled inwardly and turned his unflappable face back to Nowaki. "However, given the nature of things that must be discussed, if you don't mind, I would prefer to talk over these with Hiroki… in private."

This request seemed reasonable to Nowaki and he was glad that Usami-san was so agreeable to his proposal. He had been worried the author might demand that he sell or give Hiroki back, but this, giving Hiroki a choice, was the only way that Nowaki knew he could really be sure that Hiro-san truly wanted to be with him. He looked over at Hiroki.

The neko's ears twitched in confusion and discomfort, but he nodded his head.

"Good." Akihiko was pleased to feel that things were coming back under his control. "Why don't we go to your old room, Hiroki? That will give us some privacy. It always was the quietest room in the flat."

Akihiko ground out his cigarette and stood up from the couch. He was halfway up the stairs when he looked back over his shoulder, "are you coming, Old Cat?"

Hiroki shot a worried glance at Nowaki, who smiled uncomfortably and nodded encouragingly.

Hiroki got up and followed the author.

"This shouldn't take too long, I promise, Kusama-san," Akihiko called out to Nowaki as he held the door to Hiroki's old room open for his former and soon again to be pet.

Hiroki entered somewhat hesitantly.

Akihiko stepped in behind him and, smiling, softly closed the door.

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><p><strong>OLD AN: <strong>

**So here's the start of the confrontation – drama to ensue. Hope you enjoyed today's installment a bit longer than usual.**

**Kirakrz – Thank you for the amazing review! I always love hearing from you. You make great observations and I appreciate knowing what stands out to people as they read. Never feel you need to apologize for a review being long.**

**Madame Masquerade 64 and FreshPrinceLover – I look forward to your feedback every day. Your comments always bring a smile. You too, Illemi!**

**Chiharu Moka – Hope you got my PM and it made you feel a bit better about where the story is going.**

**Yaoifangirl4ever, Nekolove, La Petite Tomate, Lazy Kitty Hyuu, Gid – I haven't heard from you for a bit, I hope all is well and you are still with the story.**

**Teabags – Thanks for the PM. I love the way your twisted mind works. I will write you back soon, been so busy with my stories, my correspondence has suffered. My apologies.**

**Ichigo Kousei- Love your reviews and your comments, maybe I can borrow them for later or that is a story you should write. Cause damn, after reading your comments, I need a cold shower!**

**X ( ) – Missed you yesterday, though I know I said I wouldn't be here. Hope to hear from you tonight.**

**Kiyo12 – Well, glad you chimed in, it's always nice to know who's been reading along.**

**LunarRibbon- Thank you for adding this story to your favorites, hope you consider dropping a review some time.**


	39. Broken: Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Broken**

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><p>Tuesday morning it seemed was a day for interesting conversations all across the neko-sphere.<p>

While Hiroki was dealing with issues from his past, Miyagi found himself dealing with issues of the present, ones that would also definitely affect his future.

It had started when Shinobu had woken him up that morning. Earlier than he usually got up, Miyagi had been roused by a gentle pulling of his tail.

"Miyagi," the kitten whispered.

"Unnnnnh."

"Miyagi!"

"Unhhhh, what?" Miyagi rolled over and found himself confronted with a pair of large grey eyes peering at him from over the crisp white pillow barricade that separated the two nekos. If he'd been a morning feline, he would have found it the image adorable. Alas, he was not, so Shinobu's cuteness was lost on him at present and instead Miyagi just found himself feeling irritated.

"Shinobu, go back to sleep, we still have quite a while until we have to get up."

"But, Miyagi," Shinobu tried hard not to sound whiny. "I feel kind of funny."

This got Miyagi's attention, as even in his drowsy state, he recalled how warm the kitten had been the previous evening. His sleepy eyes sharpened a bit as he gazed at the caramel neko.

"Does your head hurt?" He put one large paw on Shinobu's hot forehead. Beneath his hand Shinobu shook a negative. "How about your tummy then?"

Shinobu's nose crinkled at the word 'tummy.' After all, it wasn't as if he was a baby. Still, he felt too uneasy to criticize Miyagi's choice of words.

"It doesn't hurt really. It just feels kind of funny," Shinobu said softly.

Miyagi arched a questioning brow at the kitten. Despite his concern, now far more awake, the noir neko couldn't help but notice Shinobu's sleep-wild, honey-dark head, which was priceless.

"Like kind of itchy and fluttery, and…" the wee hybrid dropped his voice so low, that even with his acute hearing Miyagi could barely make out what Shinobu was saying. "Ummmm, Miyagi, I'm 'broken' again."

It took Miyagi a moment to register what Shinobu meant, but once it sunk in both his dark brows rose. "What? Again?" Miyagi sat up now and looked down at Shinobu.

The kitten shrank down at this movement by the older neko. Despite how hot he was, he shivered. "Please, Miyagi." Shinobu's eyes were huge and pleading. "Please don't put me in the cold bath again."

Seeing the kitten's fear made Miyagi feel very badly about what he'd done to Shinobu the day before.

"Miyagi, it is hurting me though," Shinobu admitted as he pushed aside the covers to reveal his tented pajama bottoms.

The old tom noted, seeing the size of the small neko's discomfort, that for a young cat, Shinobu was remarkably well endowed. Miyagi rubbed the back of his neck, then ran a hand through his sleep-tousled, shaggy dark hair as he considered how best to handle this delicate situation.

Shinobu watched the older hybrid. He could see the muscles of Miyagi's broad chest flex underneath the tee-shirt the big hybrid had worn to sleep in when he lifted his arm. While yesterday, Shinobu had known the instant he'd recognized the older male that he loved him, today, looking at the magnificent Miyagi neko, he felt a whole new surge of sensations that he'd never had before. These feelings just increased the ache in Shinobu's groin as well as the one in his heart.

The small caramel cat just couldn't help himself, Shinobu clamored over the pillows and started to crawl into Miyagi's lap before the noir neko had a chance to react. Then suddenly Shinobu stopped. "Why, Miyagi!... You're broken too!"

"Ummm, yeah... Well, Shinobu-chin, that happens to male nekos sometimes in the morning," Miyagi explained uncomfortably. His ears, even his neko ones, grew hot; though to be honest, it had been a considerable time since he'd personally woken up with a scratching post in his pants.

Shinobu recovered quickly from his surprise and after only a moment's consideration of the new information Miyagi had offered him, began moving forward again now as Miyagi started moving back.

"Shinobu-chin, what do you think you're doing?" Miyagi's voice was filled with trepidation: the kitten's eyes had a strange glassy look in them.

"I don't know… I just want to be close to you, Miyagi," Shinobu purred drawing closer again.

Miyagi put out one of his hands to hold back the encroaching Takatsuki kitten. Shinobu put his head down and rubbed up into it, his back arched delightedly. Then he pulled his head back and began to nip lightly at the old tom's still-outstretched hand. To Miyagi's great dismay Shinobu took one of his fingers into his mouth and began to suck it quite provocatively.

Miyagi tried to pull his hand away, but the kitten latched on and just came with it. "I thought you didn't know about this kind of stuff, Shinobu," he gasped.

"Mrrrmph, what kind of stuff?" Shinobu mumbled around Miyagi's finger. Then the dazed look in the kitten's eyes receded a bit and the young neko slid his sweet mouth off Miyagi's slick digit. A thin string of saliva hung down from Shinobu's full pink bottom lip.

Miyagi's chest was suddenly heaving with want. He had no doubt in his mind now that this Takatsuki kitten was going to be the death of him. He jumped up from the bed, grabbed Shinobu around the waist and hauled the small fevered cat into the bathroom.

"No, NO, NOOOO!" Shinobu wailed, as he was being carried, "You promised no cold bath! I'm trying to be good! Please, Miyagi!"

"Shuuusssh, Brat, I'm not going to stick you in the tub," Miyagi said mildly as he set the squirming kitten on the floor.

As soon as his feet were back on the ground Shinobu stilled.

He tipped his head to the side, ears forward, his tail flipped back and forth with curiosity as he watched Miyagi look through his medicine cabinet. Miyagi took something out and handed it to Shinobu. The kitten looked down confused; it was a bottle of lotion.

Miyagi stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door.

"What am I supposed to do with this, Miyagi?" Shinobu called through the closed door.

On the other side Miyagi leaned against the door and slid down until he was sitting on the floor. "I can't believe I'm doing this, I am going to hell for sure," he muttered running his fingers through his thick hair, pulling on his cat ears in frustration. "Okay, Shinobu chin, take your pajama bottoms off."

"What? Why?"

"Because I'm going to tell you how to fix yourself, Brat. So listen up. I'm only going to go over this with you this once," Miyagi growled.

"But can't you show me? I'm much more of a visual learner," Shinobu complained.

"NO! Now do you want to 'fix' yourself or not?"

"Okay," Shinobu's voice sounded slightly defeated.

Behind him Miyagi could hear the kitten rustling around as he complied with his directions.

"They're off," Shinobu shouted.

"Okay, now you can do this without the lotion too, but it's nicer this way...," Miyagi felt his cheeks growing hot. "So now put some lotion in your hand."

"Which one?"

"I don't know. Whichever one you use the most, I guess."

"Brrrr... this stuff is cold."

"Well, rub your hands together and that will warm it up."

"Okay... Now what?"

"So uh…." _Damn, but this is embarrassing._ "So, now take your hand and grab your coc.. I mean take a hold of your broken part."

"But Miyagi, all the places I've been said that touching myself there except for washing or peeing wasn't allowed. Breeder told me that if I did it would fall off."

_ Well that certainly explains a lot. _

Miyagi fumed at the cruel misinformation that had been fed to the Kitten. "Well, now you're staying with me and I say you can touch it as much as you want. Uh... not out in public though. Okay, Shinobu?"

"But.."

Miyagi could hear the fear in Shinobu's voice. "Look, I promise it won't fall off. You can trust me on this."

Behind the door Shinobu looked down at his stiff kitten cock, something was leaking out of it and this worried him. Maybe if he didn't fix his broken part it would fall off anyway.

He took a deep breath and decided he would trust Miyagi, the neko of his fate.

"Okay, got it," Shinobu said, trepidation was still audible in his voice.

Then Miyagi heard the kitten say "Oooooohhhhh," as his warm lotion-filled hand wrapped around his erection.

"Yeah… uh, so now slide your hand up and down. You might want to vary the speed and give your wrist a little twist now and then... I mean... Never mind, you'll figure it out." Miyagi found that his throat suddenly felt tight and his voice sounded a little gravelly to him. The sound of the kitten's exclamation had stirred him up considerably.

"That sounds weird. Are you sure this will help me, Miyagi?"

Miyagi sighed as he contemplated all the solo practice he'd had at 'fixing' himself over the course of his many years. "Just do it, Brat! We need to get you 'repaired' so that I can start getting ready for school."

"Ah, Okay…" Shinobu's voice still sounded doubtful, but it soon became apparent that the kitten had taken Miyagi's advice as mewling sounds of pleasure began to drift out from under the door.

While he had followed his former custodians' advice about touching himself, Shinobu had taken the occasional pleasure of rubbing this part of him up against things occasionally. However, that had never felt this amazing.

"Oh, oooooh... ahhhhh... Miyagi, is this supposed to feel sooooo good?" Shinobu gasped.

"Yes, but can't you be quieter," Miyagi snarled. Shinobu's pleasured pants were making his own revived erection excruciating. He could feel his dick starting to drool with a seme tom's anticipation.

Miyagi thought and hoped that as inexperienced as Shinobu was, it would only take a minute for the kitten to come, but apparently that was not going to be the case. As the young neko's breathy exclamations continued to filter through the door, the big male couldn't help it. Miyagi had to reach down and grab a hold of himself.

"Hhhaa…how…unhhh….looong…aahh.. do…I, ahhhh… do this?" Shinobu puffed after what seemed like an eternity to Miyagi.

"Until you come."

"What? You want… oooohhhh… me to… nnngh… come out there… ahhhh… now, Miyagi?"

"NO! DON'T COME OUT!" Shouted Miyagi, knowing that if Shinobu did, at that moment, he'd have no choice but to pounce the kitten.

"Then…. rrrrrrrr…. What do you want me to do?" Shinobu's breathy voice queried

The professorial hybrid drew a deep breath and thought about the dullest book he'd ever read. He tried to keep his voice level, but his own breathing had become labored. "Just keep doing what you're doing until something comes out of your broken part."

"Like pee?" Shinobu was so lost in the pleasure he'd forgotten completely about his part's earlier emission.

_How can this kitten be so ignorant?_

Miyagi groaned. "No, other stuff… you'll know when it comes out."

"This... unnhh... feeeeeels sooooo gooood, Miyagi... but my arm is getting tired," Shinobu rasped.

"Well, think about um, you know, something you like… something sexy… and that might help you get 'fixed' faster."

There was only a moment's pause after this before Shinobu suddenly began panting…"Miyagi ... Miyagi... "

At first Miyagi thought the kitten had another question, but then suddenly, he realized that no, the sexy thing Shinobu had chosen to masturbate to was him. Miyagi's discomfort at this realization disappeared quickly as the younger neko's wanton vocalizations of his name jump-started his hybrid biology.

MIIIYAAAAAAAAGIIIII!" Shinobu howled.

It had just a few weeks since Miyagi had last casually paired, (he was a seme tom, after all) but it had been a much longer time since he had heard anything so truly arousing. He couldn't help himself, he began stroking his engorged cock.

With another ecstatic yowl of Miyagi's name, Shinobu finally reached his zenith on the other side of the door. Even through the wood, Miyagi heard the kitten erupt into an orgasmic PUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRR.

A few moments later a small tired voice called out, "Miyagi? I'm fixed... but... I think I might need a bath now."

"Fine, Shinobu-chin... you do that," Miyagi gasped. Then as though he'd read the kitten's mind he added. "Ummm, and don't try and come out yet, Shinobu-chin uhhh... just keep the door shut."

"Okay," Shinobu replied softly, then he added, "Thank you, Miyagi, you're a really good teacher."

Miyagi listened as the bathwater began to run before he turned back to finish 'fixing' himself. When he closed his eyes and tried to focus on something enticing as he continued to stroke, the only images that he could conjure were of the Takatsuki kitten. The old tom let out a deep growl of both pleasure and dismay, as his release finally came.

He sat there a moment afterwards and listened to Shinobu splashing about contentedly in the tub. Miyagi now had no doubt about it, this kitten was going to be the death of him.

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><p><strong> New AN:<strong>

**Going through this chapter today, I forgot how goofy this story gets at times… Broken Shinobu and reluctantly horny Miyagi seemed so funny to me. Man, those Terrorists' antics made me snort… not a pretty picture.**

**Lillemmi- so delighted to see you on a return trip through this story, my sexy fox.**

**Inujuju712- Sorry for the Terrorist interruption… you'll just have to wait and see.**

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><p><strong>Old AN: Okay, I know you guys all probably hate me for throwing in this terrorist chapter, but suspense is good, right? I am working on the scene in Hiroki's old room if I get it done later today, I'll post that chapter too.<strong>

**Kirakrz, X ( ), Madame Masquerade 64, Ichigo Kousei, and Teabags- Thank you for your wonderful reviews, you know I love em all but you give such great feedback (never too long)!**

**Liz… of course I miss you, silly. So glad you chimed in. More Tsumori ahead in a bit. **

**Yaoifangirl4ever, glad to know you're still with us.**

**Pendragon96- thanks for the comment and the favoriting!**

**NocturnalOtaku- Lovely to hear from you, thanks for joining in!**

**Midnight Reader, FreshPrinceLover, Kiyo 12, Fefe7777, Lastbloom, Midoritenchi90, Lillemmi, You are all amazing! Thanks for the faithful reviews!**


	40. Mine: Egoist, Romantica

**Neko-Hiro **

**Chapter Forty: Mine**

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><p>Hiroki walked into his old room. He was holding both his hat and his tail and trying not to acknowledge that his hands were trembling.<p>

The emptiness of the space that he had spent so much time in previously seemed strange to him. The first thing he noticed was all the vacant shelves, then all the stacked cardboard boxes. Though it surprised him that eight years could be so neatly packed away, in another sense he was glad of it. If everything here had been as he'd left it, it might have made it harder for him to express what he had to say to Akihiko.

"Akihiko…" Hiroki started to say, but he was stopped by the feel of a cool hand gently tousling the top of his head. That touch and all its associated memories sent a hot liquid jolt that ran down his spine and pooled in his groin. Hiroki tried to duck his head and pull out from under the author's touch, but Akihiko was so close behind him, the man simply moved with him, preventing him from escaping.

"Ahhhh, Hiroki," Akihiko leaned in behind the neko. His sultry breath warmed the skin on the back of Hiroki's neck. The author wrapped his long arms around Hiroki's waist from behind.

Hiroki found himself completely enveloped in Akihiko's scent, so familiar…so alluring. Despite the humiliation of his apologies and the cold way Akihiko had responded, his ears turned back, drawn by the silky tones of man's rich voice.

"I apologize for the state of your room, my dear Old Cat. It's just that when I learned you'd moved on, I intended to send your things to you, so you would have everything you needed for your research. You know, I tried to buy you back, but Tsumori-san said you were content with him. He also said you didn't want any of your things... That you didn't wish to be reminded of your former life at all…

"I wanted you to be happy and I didn't know what to do with your things, it pained me to think of just tossing all your belongings out. So, here they are. Serendipitous, in a way, don't you think, Hiroki? Since you could be returning to me again." Akihiko's voice was low and husky.

While Nowaki had told him earlier about Akihiko's attempted purchase, hearing this information from Akihiko himself impacted Hiroki far more profoundly.

_Akihiko really sought me out... _

Hiroki desperately wished he'd known, that Akihiko had asked him, himself, if he wanted to be bought back, but then Hiroki knew that this was a business arrangement that was conducted between humans, hybrids were possessions after all. To include a pet in the conversation of his ownership would have never occurred to a human.

_Except..._

Hiroki's thoughts drifted to the young man waiting below for him to make his decision.

It had seemed so clear cut a moment ago, but while thinking about Nowaki warmed Hiroki's heart, having Akihiko touching him, after all his years of longing... The feel of the man's breath on his neck…

"That was very kind of you considering the circumstances of my departure, Akihiko, but…" Hiroki was suddenly finding it hard to speak. The coolness of the silver-seme's body pressing against his own heating flesh was intoxicating.

"Hiroki, I know I was harsh earlier, but I have been so worried about you, having not seen you for so many months." Akihiko managed to sound slightly repentant. "Even after Tsumori-san rejected my bid, I still kept track of you through your school attendance. So that I could believe that you were doing well. However, it appears that your life away from me has been perhaps a bit less than kind."

Akihiko ran one hand up over Hiroki's lean torso. He was surprised again by his old pet's thinness. Nonetheless, he grinned to himself when his hand grazed the fabric of Hiroki's tee-shirt above one of the cinnamon neko's nipples and he could feel the tender bud had already become erect.

"Are you eating properly?" Akihiko whispered into Hiroki's human ear. His lips all but brushed the ear's edge. "It doesn't seem so." His hand traveled slowly back down Hiroki's side. His thumb caught in the waist band of Hiroki's jeans and his fingers draped down outside resting in the hollow of the hybrid's hip. "You feel awfully thin to me." Akihiko paused. "You know, Misaki is a wonderful cook. I bet he'd have you back to sleek and sassy in no time."

"About that…," Hiroki stammered. His cheeks were scarlet. Having the man he'd wanted for his mate pressed up against his back stirred all his neko uke instincts, his whole body was on fire from Akihiko's caresses.

"Oh, come now, Professor, would it really be so bad to come back?" Akihiko purred as he turned Hiroki around to face him. His lavender eyes glowed with a lupine intensity. "You were comfortable here once… we were comfortable here. Everything could easily go back to how it was.

"You could do your research, edit my texts, we could go to concerts, lectures, resume our debates. Now that Misaki is here and does all the cooking and cleaning, things will be even more comfortable than they were before."

Somehow with his seme smoothness, Akihiko had managed to maneuver the hybrid and turn him around without losing his hold on Hiroki's jeans. Only now his thumb was on the outside, his fingers tucked down not just behind the waist band of the professor's pants, but also behind his briefs. Akihiko's cool skin burned like a brand against the naked flesh of Hiroki's hip.

Hiroki's ears were twitching with confusion and his tail whipped about indecisively. He tried to pull back as he looked down and away. His cheeks blushed even more fiercely, but the author's grasp held firm.

Akihiko took his other hand and gripped Hiroki's chin, turning the cinnamon catman's face back up towards him."Look at me, Hiroki," Akihiko ordered. He could see the conflict and perhaps just a hint of fear in the hybrid's huge russet eyes. It thrilled him.

Using both hands Akihiko pulled Hiroki closer towards him until their chests were all but touching. Akihiko leaned in almost as if to kiss his old pet. The smoky breath of his every word brushed the stunned hybrid's lips.

"I know you cared for me once… passionately… purely. You can't tell me that in six months all of those feelings have been extinguished. If they have been, what kind of love would that have been?" Akihiko's brows arched as he awaited an answer to his inquiry, but he continued to speak.

"Surely not the kind of love I'd expect from someone who feels things as deeply as I know you do."

Hiroki's eyes widened at these words. His heart was thundering in his chest._ How is it that Akihiko has, at long last, understood that I loved him?_

The hybrid was overwhelmed at first, but then he found his voice, "What about…"

"Takahiro?" The silver seme cut the neko off once again. "An infatuation, nothing more. I am over it. I'm sorry if that hurt you," Akihiko said as he stared into Hiroki's eyes.

Hiroki found himself all but mesmerized by Akihiko's intense gaze, but then it registered what the man had said. His ears stilled and his brow furrowed.

"No, I wasn't going to say Takahiro, I was going to ask you, what about Misaki? And anyway, how did you know?"

"Misaki? What about Misaki?" Akihiko's eyes were curious but cold. He watched Hiroki's stilled ears flatten and the neko's expression shift as a significant realization unrolled in the hybrid's mind.

Hiroki had at last comprehended something.

The time that he enticed Akihiko to fuck him and he had blindfolded his owner, he had thought it was because it would help Akihiko pretend and because it would help him save his Kamijou pride, but neither of these reasons were really the truth.

Hiroki's mind flashed to Nowaki. He thought about the young man's eyes; they were so warm. Every time Nowaki looked at him, it made him feel as though something inside him burned just a bit brighter, something kindled by the gentle fire of those eyes.

Hiroki understood now that he had truly blindfolded Akihiko because he had not wanted the heat of his love chilled by the author's icy amethyst gaze.

This insight stole the breath from Hiroki's lungs. He pulled his chin sharply out of the Akihiko's grasp and looked away. It was then that he noticed one of his journals lying face down, open, on his old bed.

Another realization dawned on him: Akihiko had experienced no romantic epiphany. This was how he had discovered his true feelings for him.

Hiroki reached up and put his hands on Akihiko's stone-solid chest and pushed himself away. He strode over to the bed and picked up the journal, his pride had been sorely provoked.

"Akihiko, you ass, you read this! Where the fuck do you get off nosing through my private writings!"

"You belonged to me, Hiroki," Akihiko said, a slight growl burred out occasionally from under his otherwise flat tone. "Hybrids legally can have no possessions. As your owner I had every right to read your writings, I only wish now I had done so sooner."

In that moment, Hiroki had his final great realization.

Even though they had spent such a short time together the neko knew Nowaki would never say such a thing to him. Hiroki could not imagine Nowaki throwing his ownership up in his face like that, ever.

Akihiko may have allowed the pretense of equality in his relationship with him in the past, but Nowaki lived it in earnest. If the man did not, he would not have given him the choice. He would not have been having this conversation with Akihiko now while Nowaki sat waiting patiently below.

Hiroki understood at last, that what had originally felt to him as a rejection by Nowaki, was actually an expression of the purity of the man's respect for him. It was Nowaki's way of truly declaring and proving his love.

The hybrid's anger evaporated. He looked levelly at his former owner, his ears perked proudly forward, his tail fluffed in its resolve. Hiroki said softly but firmly, "But I don't belong to you any more, Akihiko. I belong to Nowaki now and that is where I wish to stay."

Akihiko studied Hiroki for a moment. It almost looked as though he might break into a smile, then something darker flashed across his face. "No, Hiroki, you're staying with me."

Before Hiroki even had the chance to register what was happening, Akihiko was upon him. Akihiko knocked the journal to the floor, grabbed Hiroki's arms, and pushed him onto the bed, trapping Hiroki beneath him.

Hiroki flailed beneath the larger male, but it was no use. His chest heaving with the exertion of his struggles, Hiroki growled in between pants, "I hate you, Akihiko!"

Akihiko leaned down, he grabbed each of Hiroki's arms and pushed them over the hybrid's head, pinning them above him. He murmured into the neko's shaved ear, "Ahhh, Hiroki… that would wound me greatly if I believed it, but I don't. You have always been such a contrarian… You say _hate,_ so then I know that what you truly mean is _love_."

While the author's body was cool, his tongue was hot. He licked it around the edge of Hiroki's naked ear. Beneath him Akihiko felt the neko's body shudder.

"Your contradictions continue, Old Cat, your heart is so shy, but your body most certainly is not." Akihiko laughed. He released one of Hiroki's hands and dropped his own hand down to his lost pet's stiffening cock.

"What are you doing, Akihiko?" With his free hand Hiroki reached down and grabbed the man's wrist.

"I'm doing what any good seme does, Hiroki, I am claiming you. I'd like to see you walk out there with my seed still cooling between your thighs, my mate mark on your neck, and tell that young idiot that you want to go home with him."

Akihiko gave Hiroki a bitter smile. "My guess is that you'd like to call out to him right now to come save you, but you won't, your pride won't let you."

Hiroki's ears flattened back against his skull and his tail rattled dangerously. He released Akihiko's wrist and lashed out at the man above him, but Akihiko easily caught his fist. He pushed Hiroki's arm back above his head and captured both the hybrid's slender wrists beneath one of his large hands. With the other he pushed up Hiroki's shirt.

Lavender eyes widened at the signs of Tsumori's abuse still evident on Hiroki's pale skin.

"Hiroki, why didn't you tell me you liked to play rough?" Akihiko teased. He thought to himself that while Misaki's protestations were entertaining, this new facet of the cinnamon cat's character offered even more possibilities.

Akihiko took one of Hiroki's still-recovering nipples in between his teeth and pulled back.

Hiroki hissed and bucked up under the man. "Stop it, you prick! I don't like it rough and I don't want you!"

Akihiko's mouth released Hiroki. He leered down at the neko, "My dear cinnamon contrarian, I remain unconvinced."

"Akihiko," Hiroki's voice was beginning to take on a desperate tone that shamed him and titillated Akihiko. "I'll ask you again, why are you really doing this? And what about Misaki?"

Akihiko looked thoughtful for only a moment before smugly answering, "Well, Hiroki, I simply don't like giving things up. I mean to hold on to what was and is still mine."

"But don't worry," Akihiko assured. "I promise, I have enough stamina to attend to you and Misaki both. Or if you find yourself feeling unsatisfied later with our renewed arrangement…"

Akihiko snorted at the ridiculousness of this thought and then smirked at the distressed neko. "Perhaps I'll even share Misaki with_ you_.

"Think of it as a _menagerie a trois_: two cats and a rabbit."

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><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**So here's the start of the great confrontation. Hope you like it. **

**Thank you everyone who enjoyed the Terrorist reprieve from the drama and let me know about it with your lovely reviews!**

**I will try and update as frequently as possible but there might be a bit of a lag in between updates in the upcoming weeks.**

**Sorry not to do my usual shout outs tonight, but I need to get to bed and I wanted to get this posted before I slip off into dreams of sexy nekos and their equally sexy semes. **

**You all know I love you though, right? Cause I do! -Smooches! **

**(Did I just say smooches… hell, I must be tired.)**


	41. Karma: Tsumori

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Forty-One: Karma**

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><p>"I've had enough of this, asshole! Get off of me, you stupid rat fuck!"<p>

That was what Tsumori was screaming in his mind at the moment, but what was coming out of his mouth was more like, "Meeeoowrrrr Rooowwwl Errrp Raaaaaaar!" interspersed with a number of hisses and spits.

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><p>Jun had gone out to get some breakfast food for the trio that Tuesday morning before they headed off to the University again to stakeout Hiroki, since Tsumori's new neko-hood had apparently had no impact on his inability to cook.<p>

While Jun was gone, since his huge partner had obviously fallen in love with the stupid faux-cat, jealous Ren had decided this was as good a time as any to give the blond new neko a good retaliation fucking.

Ren flipped the young medic on his stomach onto their bed and bound Tsumori's hands to the bars on the headboard. In his weakened state, Tsumori wasn't able to put up much of a fight. The weasely knacker left the bark collar off so he could enjoy Tsumori's inarticulate protests. Ren took a hard hold on the new neko's tail and used it as a handle, while he pummeled the human hybrid's already much-abused ass.

Tsumori honestly didn't know how much more of this he could take. Death was looking more and more preferable as opposed to the enduring hell that he'd been living through ever since he'd fallen in with the knackers.

As if this morning wasn't awful the night before had been particularly horrible.

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><p>Once again the knackers forced him to accompany them on their rounds as they checked their feral trap-lines. Only this time, the experience for Tsumori was far different than it had been previously.<p>

Now that his biology had really shifted, Tsumori could smell the captured nekos' fear and feel their distress. The misery of the captured nekos was overwhelming. If these heightened senses weren't enough, his new auditory canals had opened up that late afternoon, earlier than he'd anticipated, and the captive hybrids' terrified cries in his infant ears were excruciating.

One poor young feral had broken his arm in a trap the knackers had set and had been in terrible pain. Tsumori was finally able to convince Ren and Jun to let him set and splint the kitten's limb. Not until after he received a number of blows for being unruly, however, before the two morons finally understood what it was he was trying to do.

Instead of their usual delivery route, the knackers drove all their captives to a huge warehouse out in the industrial district. In addition to their independent clients, Ren and Jun were part of a much larger neko-trafficking operation.

Inside the warehouse there were hundreds of tiny cages stacked on top of each other and most of them contained at least one neko.

As the captives in the knackers' van listened to the men in front talking together, the doomed hybrids learned that this syndicate had been gathering nekos for weeks, preparing for a huge shipment to go out to China, where poor immunization policies had still left the neko virus running rampant and nekos, as a result, were becoming all but extinct. Lucky nekos from this shipment would be sold off as pets to the elite upper classes, but the rest would find themselves doing slave labor in crowded and dangerous factories.

In the knackers' van, all of the nekos in it, including Tsumori, immediately fell silent and began shaking uncontrollably. As the vehicle drove in past the armed guards at the door, the pain and misery of all the caged nekos permeating their cat-consciousness.

There was an office in the middle of the warehouse's interior space and as soon as Ren and Jun pulled up, a young, tough-looking man with a vicious scar running the length of one side of his face stepped out of it to greet them.

"Hey, Ren. Jun, how many do you have for me tonight?" The scarred thug called out as he approached.

Ren stepped out of the van and walked over to the young man, while Jun unlocked the back and began pulling the bound nekos out, dropping them unceremoniously onto the cold concrete floor of the warehouse. "We have about eight for you tonight, Kato-san," the weasely knacker said.

"That's not a bad haul, but you know you only have a few more days to bring them in," Kato warned, "they all ship out on Friday night."

"I bet you'll be glad when they're gone," Jun called from the back of the van.

Kato walked over his direction to inspect the new merchandise. "You don't know the half of it," the scarred man said, "You know next week starts hybrid heat season and if you think it's miserable in here now listening to all these fucking animals whimpering and whining, imagine having to put up with well over a thousand sexually frustrated felines. Man, I almost feel sorry for the guys on the boat that are gonna' be stuck with these horny pussies crossing over."

The last neko that Jun grabbed was the injured kitten. It yowled when the big knacker started to pull it out by its injured arm. Jun went to smack it for yelling, but Tsumori, who had gotten out of the van also and was standing nervously near Jun, ducked in front of the kitten absorbing the brunt of the blow.

Jun stared down at the new neko he'd just about knocked senseless as he released the kitten. "Aww, Mori-chan likes kitties," he said laughing as he pulled the battered blond back up on his feet and tousled Tsumori's head.

"Hey," Kato said looking at Tsumori. "I thought you said eight, I count nine."

"That one's already spoken for," Ren snarled behind him, "though I'm starting to think we'd be better off just dumping him here."

"No, Ren!" Jun said, obviously getting angry at the smaller man's remarks, "Mori-chan's ours and we're keeping him!"

"Only until we get him to the Doc's, which is where we should be going now!" Ren snapped.

"No, you said we could keep him all night tonight!" Jun shouted back.

"Hey, you two lovebirds," Kato interrupted, "take your quarrel elsewhere or your screeching is going to start stirring up all the cats and I don't want to have to get out the fire-hose and douse these noisy fuckers again. I think a few of them caught colds from the last time and the last thing I need are a bunch of sniffling nekos."

The scarred thug counted out a bunch of bills to the two men who now stood there silently, looking slightly embarrassed. Ren took the money and started to climb back into the vehicle. "Tsumori, get your ass in the van!" He yelled.

As Tsumori crawled back in reluctantly, he watched with dismay as Kato whistled and a few other equally rough looking thugs stepped out of the warehouse office. Two of them began to roughly pick up the bound nekos, only untying them long enough to shove them into the small box-like cages. One heavily tattooed youth pulled up a disheveled but rather pretty female feral.

"Hey guys, I found tonight's fun," he chuckled tossing the mewling neko over his shoulder, "Come join me in the office when you're finished."

"Why does Shinji always get to go first?" One of the young tough's asked the other as he stuffed the crying injured kitten into its cage.

Jun shut the back door then, cutting off Tsumori's view to the trafficking operation's horrors. Tsumori curled himself up in a corner of the van and sat there unmoving for the rest of the trip.

When they arrived back at the knackers' apartment after that, Tsumori had been remarkably quiet. He also stayed pretty close to Jun. The young medic couldn't quite figure out if this was due to his increasingly uke cat temperament (true seme nekos like Miyagi were not that common) or just the natural progression of Stockholm syndrome. Whatever the case, it pleased the big seme knacker to no end while simultaneously infuriating Ren.

That night Ren was even more brutal with Tsumori when they played "fill the cat" to the point that Jun actually decided to tie "Mori-chan" up and stick him in the closet to "rest" while he brought his smaller uke partner back under control through a bit of individual attention.

Even with the respite, Tsumori had been fucked so hard that night the next morning he couldn't walk. Crawling around on all fours was humiliating, but the more the new neko seemed like a pure cat, the more it delighted Jun.

It didn't take long for that delight to undo all the soothing that the big man had done to his human partner, so the instant that Jun had left to get the food, Ren had started in.

* * *

><p>As he was being thrust into, feeling as though he was going to be split in two at any moment (despite his height Ren was... well, huge). Tsumori remembered all the damage he'd inflicted on Hiroki when he had been so jealous of the connection the tattered neko had made with Nowaki. In fact, it was seldom any more that the cinnamon catman was not right on the edge of Tsumori's thoughts.<p>

_"Karma isn't for pussies,"_ he thought with bitter humor as he hissed and howled at Ren's newest assault.

Ren had no sooner finished "fill the cat" than Jun came in.

"Ren! I thought we'd decided we'd only play with Mori-chan together!" Jun cried when he'd found them. He was obviously upset by the small knacker's betrayal. "Besides, look at kitty-chan," he scolded. "He's bleeding all over the sheets… You've made him all dirty!"

"Poor neko-chan," Jun said pushing Ren off and untying Tsumori's hands. He picked Tsumori up bridal style and started carrying the battered blond into the bathroom. "Daddy is going to give his dirty pet a bath," he crooned.

Looking over the big man's shoulders as he was carried out of the room, Tsumori caught Ren's eye. The small knacker stared murderously at him. Tsumori turned his head away and surprised himself by tucking it under Jun's chin.

"Daddy's sweet kitty wants a bath, doesn't he?" Jun cooed into Tsumori's neko ear. It flicked rapidly at the tickle of the man's breath.

Tsumori nodded miserably into Jun's chest. "Yow," he said in submissive agreement.

But what the human hybrid really wanted was to come up with some way to escape, because Tsumori knew that if he was going to survive this at all, he was going to have to find some way to get away soon.

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><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**So, here's today's chapter. I may start working on the next this evening. I know that I am horrible to keep you waiting to find out what happens, but hopefully this will meet Liz's Tsumori fix.**

**Also… I can't tell you how great it was to open my e-mail this morning and find all your reviews (Yeah, I'm OCD like that, a bit of a review junkie as you might have surmised). But seriously you all are awesome. I think you set a new record for this story today.**

**Kirakrz (thanks for the favoriting), Ichigo Kousei, - both of you, I love those long reviews and the suggestions (personal or otherwise). X ( ) – Hope to hear from you tonight.**

**Egoistfangirl, nice to hear back from you a second time, glad the terrorist chap made you laugh.**

**Yaoifangirl4vever- glad to have you back and chiming in.**

**ASTROZOMBIE8 and Moymoy- happy the terrorist chapter met your approval and there will be more Miyagi and Shinobu to come.**

**Teabags- love the expression, haven't forgotten about the PM, and by the way, the capital letters in the title were meant to be part of my alter ego.**

**Chiharu Moka- glad you're still with me.**

**Spurious Blade – Thank you for adding the story to your favorites, hope to hear from you sometime.**

**Madame Masquerade 64, Midnight Reader, I.C.2014, Lillemmi, FreshPrinceLover, Midoritenchi90 – You all are awesome (As usual)!**


	42. Yell: Egoist, Romantica

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Forty-Two: Yell**

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><p>Now even though Akihiko's request to speak with Hiroki had seemed both reasonable and expected to Nowaki, that didn't mean that it made him feel particularly happy to see Hiroki go off with the author behind a closed door.<p>

While Nowaki knew that he needed to trust Hiroki and that it was important for the hybrid to come to his own conclusions, he wondered.

W_hat do I really know about Usami-san and more importantly is he trustworthy_?

Nowaki's seme senses were niggling at him.

Just then Misaki came out of the kitchen with a tray of tea and trifles. His huge green eyes looked a bit shocked to see the sitting room empty, except for the giant seme.

_I thought it had gotten a bit quiet._

Misaki glanced around nervously as he set the tea tray down. "Ummm, excuse me please, Kusama-san… where did Usagi... uh... Usami-sama and Kamijou-san go?"

Nowaki looked at the kitten whose lithe dark brown tail was twitching uncomfortably behind him.

"Usami-san and Hiro-san… Kamijou-san went upstairs to Kamijou-san's old room to talk, Misaki-kun." Though his expression was completely benign, sharp blue eyes measured the kitten's reaction.

Misaki glanced up at the door the author and the professor had disappeared through. He unconsciously bit his lower lip and looked away quickly, his long dark eyelashes blinked rapidly.

"Oh," he said softly. Misaki's agitated tail stilled and drooped, curling sadly around one of his thin legs.

The small chocolate neko paused for a moment and then turned back to Nowaki, a sweet smile painted on his face.

"Kusama-san, may I serve you some tea while you wait then?" Misaki's voice was bright, though it faltered towards the end of his question.

Nowaki noticed immediately that the kitten's immense emerald eyes looked exceedingly moist.

"Only if you will join me, Misaki-kun."

The kitten looked anxiously up at the door upstairs again and Nowaki thought he detected a slight tremble in the young hybrid's thin shoulders. Then Misaki looked back at him.

"Thank you, Kusama-san, you're very kind to include me. I don't normally get invited to take tea with Usagi.. Usami-sama's guests. I would like that very much."

Misaki poured the tea, careful not to spill a single drop and gave Nowaki his cup. Then after he poured a cup for himself, the kitten took his and sat on the edge of the couch across from Nowaki. The two sipped their tea in uncomfortable silence.

"This is excellent tea, Misaki-kun, and you poured it beautifully."

Misaki dipped his head and blushed at Nowaki's praise.

"Ah, Kusama-san, I still have so much to learn in terms of my serving skills," he said humbly. Misaki's lean tail, however, quivered happily that Nowaki had noticed and at the man's praise.

"The tea is jasmine, Usagi… Usami-sama has me order it from a special shop in Hokkaido."

"Is that so?" Nowaki took another sip and made sure it was obvious he was savoring the flavor. After a minute of silence he looked at Misaki. "Misaki-kun, excuse me for asking... but do you like it here?" Nowaki knew that his question was blunt, but he was curious about the small chocolate hybrid and about his owner.

Misaki's eyes widened at both the directness and the man's question. He blushed profusely. He was a hybrid, so whether or not he liked his owner's home was not something to be considered and he'd been taught early on that he should never criticize his master.

"Kusama-san, w-what is there not to like? This place is so big, and ummm… even though I don't have my own room because Usami-sama has so many toys and things, I don't mind… There's a great kitchen… and ahhh, I really like to cook… and Usami-sama makes it so there's always stuff to clean… so I'm never bored… and..." Misaki said all of this in a rush, knowing that as usual he was making a mess of things and not speaking correctly.

Nowaki studied the kitten. It sounded to him as though Misaki was struggling to convince himself, as well as his visitor, with his words.

"And what about Usami-san, is he a good owner?" Nowaki asked kindly.

The kitten was suddenly very interested in something in the bottom of his cup. After a long silence Misaki looked up into the warm blue seas of Nowaki's eyes.

Now, the Takahashis were not complaining cats by any means, they were actually quite long-suffering, if not more than a bit codependent, but there was something in the young seme's expression that caused feelings that had been tightly wound inside Misaki to suddenly come unraveled.

Misaki set his teacup on the table, his paws clenched and his ears flattened. Then unexpectedly he erupted.

"He's horrid… He's a big pompous ass… He's terrifying in the morning when he first wakes up… He ignores me when he works… and then won't leave me be when I'm trying to do something important… He's a catastrophe in the kitchen… Big stupid Usagi can't even make tea properly without almost killing someone… He's always doing perverted things to me… even when I tell him no… He's a slob who wears a tie to pretend that he's neat… He tastes like an ashtray… He says weird, embarrassing things all the time… and … and…"

Misaki suddenly clapped his hands over his lips to stop his verbal torrent. He was appalled at what had just come out of his mouth. To say such terrible and private things about his owner to anyone, especially a stranger, was unthinkable.

Though the part about Akihiko's perversions bothered Nowaki quite a bit, he'd listened patiently to the kitten's furious rant. He saw the kitten's mortification at his disclosures. Nowaki smiled kindly at Misaki: he was a perceptive man.

Nowaki asked gently, "but still, you like him a lot. Don't you, Misaki-kun?"

Misaki had looked away from the tall man as soon as he'd started talking about Usagi-san. Hearing Nowaki's question, Misaki slowly dropped his hands from his mouth. He drew in a deep breath, his brown ears shivered. The kitten hiccupped and brought his gaze back up to Nowaki's. Tears flooded the green pastures of Misaki's eyes. The chocolate neko did not look away this time as he stared into Nowaki's earnest face.

"I… I do like him… a lot, Kusama-san…" Misaki quietly confessed, "I know I shouldn't when he's such a disastrous bastard but…" Misaki sighed miserably, "I think I …. kind of…umm l- love him in fact, actually." The small cat's tear-filled eyes traveled back up to the closed door of Hiroki's old room.

"What about you, Kusama-san? Do you like Kamijou-san?" Misaki asked hesitantly. His cheeks blushed pink as he wiped away his tears, embarrassed that twice now since he'd met the man, Nowaki had seen him cry.

"I love him with my whole heart, Misaki-kun," Nowaki said with conviction. He offered Misaki a smile that held a sad radiance.

"Really?"

Misaki suddenly realized after he'd asked this that he might have sounded quite rude, as if it was hard to believe anyone could really love the Kamijou cat (which actually for him, was rather true). He rushed to clarify his question so that he wouldn't offend the kind, dark-haired man sitting across from him.

"I mean, if you love him, then why did you bring him here?"

Nowaki looked at the kitten, regarding Misaki intently. "Well, Misaki-kun, I know he cared for Usami-san once and I want Hiro-san to be happy. I want him to decide where he belongs."

"But Kamijou-san is a hybrid, why should it matter what he wants?" Misaki was incredulous that a human would give a hybrid such a choice.

"Just because he's a hybrid doesn't mean that he doesn't have a heart filled with love and desires of his own, Misaki-kun," Nowaki's cobalt eyes were filled with empathy for the small chocolate cat as he said this.

"That's awfully selfless of you, Kusama-san," Misaki whispered. His ears drooped as he looked over at the upstairs' door again and then back down at his unfinished tea cooling on the table in front of him.

Nowaki leaned over the low coffee table separating him from the kitten. With one of his long arms he reached over and gently took the small hybrids sharp chin in his large hand and tipped Misaki's head up. He gazed into Misaki's dewy, grass-green eyes.

"That's very kind of you to say," Nowaki said, "for though I've known you for less than an hour, Misaki-kun, my intuition tells me you might be rather an expert on this particular topic."

Something in the man's expression, the warmth of his touch, bolstered Misaki and made the kitten's shame subside. In fact it made Misaki feel even a bit bold.

"Usagi-san once told me I – I might benefit if I was to be selfish on occasion," he admitted, a new blush colored his cheeks.

"Did he now?" Nowaki smiled encouragingly.

"Yes," Misaki said with a bit more conviction. "He said to be selfish from time to time wasn't necessarily a bad thing."

"Well, from what I have gathered from the man in the short time I've known him, it seems as though Usami-san might be an expert in that," Nowaki offered cautiously. Then he added, "It's too bad the two of you can't get together and share your various expertise, Misaki-kun. It sounds as though you both might do well to learn something from the other."

Hearing the truth and the possibility in the man's words, Misaki gave Nowaki a shy smile.

Seeing this, Nowaki's current smile brightened: the two had reached an understanding.

Nowaki released Misaki's chin. He leaned back, clapped his hands together, and then stood up.

"Well, they have been up there a while now, haven't they, Misaki-kun?" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously; the hairs had been standing up there in seme-alert ever since Hiroki had disappeared from his sight. "Perhaps I should go check on them and make sure that everything's going okay?" Nowaki tried to sound casual.

"And I suppose I had best take their tea up to them before it gets cold," Misaki offered, rising also and taking up the tea tray.

"Would you like me to carry that for you, Misaki-kun?"

"No, thank you, Kusama-san, that's very kind of you, but I think I can manage it on my own now, thank you." Misaki's tail twitched with a new vigor.

The choice of the kitten's words was not lost Nowaki. "Let's go then," he said and the two of them started up the stairs together.

* * *

><p>Upstairs, Hiroki, though still pinned, was looking at his former owner with a significant scowl on his face. While internally he had become quite terrified, he refused to give Akihiko the satisfaction of knowing this.<p>

"Have you always been such an insufferable prick?" Hiroki growled.

Akihiko palmed the neko's heaving chest with one large cool hand. He could feel the pulse of the cinnamon cat's heart beneath his fingertips. Despite the hybrid's practiced scorn, Hiroki's heart was beating like the wings of a hummingbird.

"A prick, you say," Akihiko moved one of his knees up between Hiroki's thighs and ground down onto hybrid's heated groin.

Hiroki couldn't help it, as the sensation of pressure increased, a low moan escaped him. The knee moved away as the author's chilled hand slid slowly down the neko's panting belly to take its place.

"You can't tell me you're just noticing this now?" Akihiko laughed. He leaned his silver head forward and breathed in Hiroki's shaved ear, "If so, you must have truly been blinded by love."

Akihiko moved his mouth down and nipped along Hiroki's jaw line. The neko felt the man unfasten the top of his jeans and start to push them down.

"I am really going to make you mine this time, Hiroki," Akihiko whispered. He put his mouth over Nowaki's mark on Hiroki's neck.

"Stop it, Akihiko, that's Nowaki's mark!" Hiroki hissed. His ears were completely flat and any part of his tail not trapped beneath him was whipping wildly.

The author lifted his lips only long enough to say "Exactly." Then his mouth clamped back down on Hiroki slender throat.

Hiroki was beside himself at the thought that Akihiko might obscure his new seme's mate-mark. Still recovering from his time with Tsumori, however, he also knew that he was simply not strong enough right now to get Akihiko off of him.

Hiroki closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He had just had one more realization: there was something he'd suddenly discovered that mattered more to him than his pride… it was love.

As much as he hated to do it, Hiroki drew in a deep breath and suddenly yelled.

"NOWAKI! GET YOUR GIANT SEME ASS UP HERE AND SAVE ME!"

* * *

><p>Akihiko sat back in stunned, surprised at Hiroki's exclamation. Hiroki took that opportunity to twist his wrists free and slap the man's hands aside.<p>

Nowaki who had, by this time, been on just the other side of the door, burst in the moment he heard Hiroki shout. Misaki was right behind him.

Akihiko looked over the instant he heard the tea service crash to the floor. It fell from the chocolate kitten's stunned paws the moment Misaki took in the vision of his lavender-eyed seme kneeling on Hiroki's old bed, straddling the prone professor's legs.

The author barely had time to register his small hybrid's reaction before he felt himself thrown from the bed onto the floor. Akihiko looked up to see the young black-haired seme had pulled Hiroki up off the bed and was clutching him tightly.

"I said you could talk to him, you lecherous leporid!" Nowaki raged. "And I was wrong to even allow that! You can't have him! I changed my mind. HIRO-SAN IS MINE!"

Akihiko would have responded, but the breath had been knocked out of him.

Nowaki turned Hiroki around to face him. "I'm sorry, Hiro-san, I can't let you go."

Hiroki lifted his dark russet eyes up to Nowaki. The neko nodded solemnly. He looked over at Akihiko and then back to Nowaki. His brow furrowed.

"Well, what the hell are you waiting for, Nowaki?" Hiroki's lean sides were still heaving from the experience, "Are you going to thrash him or not? The bastard was intent on ravishing me. He threatened to put his mate-mark over yours!"

That was all the encouragement Nowaki needed. He lunged at the still winded author, grabbed Akihiko by the collar, picked him up, and slammed him against the wall. Nowaki drew back one of his large fists and was just about to start pummeling the man when he felt a pair of small hands on his chest.

Akihiko's slim kitten had somehow managed to slip in between the two semes and Misaki was trying desperately to push Nowaki off.

"No, don't you dare hurt him!" Misaki yelled.

Nowaki relinquished his hold on Akihiko and stepped back in surprise. As soon as he released him, Akihiko's legs failed him and the author slumped to the floor.

"USAGI-SAN IS MINE! Kusama-san, leave him alone!… Don't you dare touch one hair on my… my hare!" The furious kitten shouted.

Nowaki was still shocked by Misaki's outburst, but found himself hard-pressed not to smile. Because despite the small cat's volume, it was obvious that the kitten was terrified. The poor hybrid's hands were balled into tight fists. The hair down the middle of his head had raised into a cock's comb ridge, but his ears were completely horizontal and his thin, chocolate-whip tail was curled up tightly between the teen neko's legs, despite his defiant stance.

"Misaki…" Akihiko gasped, he was completely taken aback by the livid state of his kitten.

Misaki whirled around to face his breathless owner. "And you…you dumb buck!… shut the hell up! I've had it up to here!" Misaki indicated the tips of his now erect ears, "with your hare-brained antics, you stupid rabbit!" The kitten shouted, "YOU'RE NOT BRINGING THAT KAMIJOU CAT BACK INTO THIS HOUSE! GOT IT?"

Misaki was trembling, but he straightened himself up and looked over at Hiroki. His voice was softer now, but still had an edge of wildness in it.

"I love him, Kamijou-san, there's no room for you here anymore. Take your Kusama-san and go home so I can start cleaning up this mess." Misaki motioned first to the shattered tea service staining the floor and then to the silent author sitting next to him.

Akihiko was looking at his kitten with an expression of stunned wonder.

Hiroki studied the small chocolate neko a moment and then nodded slowly.

"Thank you, Misaki-kun. No need to see us to the door. I lived here long enough to know the way out." He calmly stepped up to Nowaki and took the man's hand.

Nowaki turned to Hiroki still in a slight daze from being pushed into seme-attack mode

"Come on, Nowaki," Hiroki said softly, "let's go home."

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><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**So here it is, the moment you have been waiting for. I hope it met your expectations. Now, please don't stop reading because there are still some more twists and turns coming up ahead. **

**Note: by the way, "leporid' is the scientific (latin) name for rabbit (family leporidae). I thought Nowaki with all his biology background should know that.**

**Thank you all for the interest you've had in the story. Oh and just for clarification, though I am a bit embarrassed to admit this…When I said I had to be back at school, I meant to teach… not to be a student. Thus, my love for Hiroki, though you'd hardly know it with all I've put his through in this fic.**

**X ( )- No joke, your comments and insights make me equally swoon. Your comment about Tsumori's neko state making him more human was brilliant. I too like a quieter Hiroki. I think his silence in both the manga and the anime is much more eloquent than people realize and more powerful than his outbursts which are what people seem to most often focus on. (Like that scene when Nowaki first comes back from America and Hiroki just sits there reading the paper.) **

**MoonlightatDusk - thank you! I am waiting for your next chapter, so you better get busy, person.**

**Nadiwa Yagari- Thank you so much for the support! Wouldn't be updating as much if I didn't have such great and chatty readers.**

**MidnightReader- keep reading…**

**Teabags- of course you are classy like that! But is Tsumori? We'll see…**

**Chiharu Moka- I think I see some eyes opening now.**

**Yaoifangirl4ever, I'll update if you review. Then both our days will be brighter.**

**Liz- Right back at you and I am not done with Tusmori yet. Hear that, FreshPrinceLover and Lillemmi?**

**Egoistfangirl- Mercy? Maybe, you'll just have to keep reading.**

**Kirakrz- We will return to the neko trafficking in a bit. Oh, and the knackers have been stalking Hiroki at the university so they don't know Hiroki has been to see Akihiko. Shinoda…Hmmm. I'll see what I can do. When I started the story it was a toss up for me whether to make Tsumori or Shinoda the bad guy. Poor Tsumori won the toss up because he knew Nowaki so it was easier to figure out how Nowaki and Hiroki would meet.**

**Ichigo Kousei- I'm glad my little opening dialogue ploy worked. Hah! Psyche. I laughed at your thoughts about the small knacker's package. Funny!**

**Madame Masquerade 64- is there anything that will make Tsumori worthy of redemption for you? Also so glad you like the terrorists because they will be back soon.**


	43. Rain: Egoists

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Forty-Three: Rain**

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><p>The farther they got from Akihiko's apartment, the better Nowaki felt…and the worse.<p>

Nowaki was immensely glad to be away from the other, older seme's crazy dark energy and he was overjoyed to be going home, to _their_ home with Hiro-san. Nowaki looked down at the cinnamon neko walking silently alongside him who was, even now, still holding his hand.

Hiroki seemed to be lost, deep in thought.

Nowaki also felt badly. First because when they left, he had forgotten the umbrella he'd brought and now it was beginning to rain. Nowaki watched Hiro-san's poor naked ear twitch when a fat raindrop struck the hybrid's exposed skin. Hiroki, it appeared, in his desire to make a rapid departure from the author's flat, had also left his new cap behind as well.

But more than simply forgetting the umbrella, Nowaki was distressed because he'd taken away Hiro-san's choice by his own declaration. When he had come upon Hiroki and the author in that awful scene, it didn't appear Hiro-san looked like he wanted to stay there.

Still, Nowaki wished that Hiroki could have taken more ownership of the situation. Though he was very grateful, knowing the neko's pride and having an idea of his past feelings for Usami-san, that Hiro-san had called for him.

Nowaki stopped.

It took Hiroki a minute to realize Nowaki was no longer walking with him. When he felt the gentle resistance in their hands as he tried to continue moving forward, Hiroki paused and looked back.

"Hiro-san, I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry…" Nowaki began.

Breaking his earlier silence, Hiroki jumped in and cut Nowaki off before the man even had a chance to explain what he was apologizing for.

"You should be, Nowaki!" Hiroki scolded sharply, clearly annoyed. "What kind of idiot seme allows their uke-neko go off with his old owner, who he once loved, especially when he clearly doesn't love him anymore and loves his new seme instead!" Hiroki huffed.

Nowaki stared at Hiroki in stunned wonder.

Hiroki just scowled. "What?"

"Please say that again, Hiro-san," Nowaki whispered.

Hiroki was confused; Nowaki's eyes had gone all big and sparkly.

"What, you mean? The part about where I said you're a huge idiot?" The irritated neko asked. It had started to rain in earnest now. Hiroki noticed how the drops glistened like bits of new coal in Nowaki's thick black hair.

"No," Nowaki breathed. He took Hiroki's free paw in his other hand and moved slightly, so that now man and neko were standing face to face, both hands clasped. "The part where you said you loved me."

Realizing that he had actually in essence said that, Hiroki became quite flustered. His cheeks, shiny with the falling precipitation, burned bright pink. They were so hot it was a wonder they didn't start to steam.

"Nowaki, if you think I am going to do something as blatantly movie cliché as confess my love to you in the middle of a rainstorm, you have anoth…ummmph!" Hiroki's embarrassed tirade was cut off when Nowaki suddenly leaned down and caught his mouth with his own, giving Hiroki a passionate, though unexpected kiss.

Hiroki resisted. He opened his mouth to chastise the man for kissing him in public but found the moment he did, it was filled instead with Nowaki's tongue. On principle, he fought back with his own but for only the briefest of moments before surrendering.

The kiss went on and on, neither creature aware of how soaked they were getting or conscious of the stares of the few passersby who looked with curiosity on the giant human caught in an intimate lip lock with a slightly bedraggled, naked-eared neko.

When the two finally separated, both were lightly panting. Hiroki glanced up at Nowaki just briefly. Nowaki saw that for once, Hiroki's gaze was completely unguarded. Nowaki was overwhelmed by the depths of emotion he saw revealed in Hiroki's large eyes.

Too quickly, the cinnamon catman looked away.

Hiroki studied the gathering puddles on the sidewalks around them. "I love you, Nowaki. Okay?" He whispered. Though his face was flushed, there was no embarrassment in his voice, just quiet conviction.

Nowaki smiled hugely. "I love you too, Hiro-san!" he exclaimed pulling the neko against him, dropping their hands, and wrapping the soaking hybrid in his long arms.

"Good," Hiroki said, drawing himself up and resuming his proud posture once more. His fight with Akihiko, despite his call for assistance had been quite restorative. "Now that, that's out of the way, let's get going, I'm drenched and I'm starting to feel cold." Hiroki's tone had reacquired its notably long-absent fierce edge.

"Here, Hiro-san," Nowaki opened the light coat he was wearing and held one side out. "Come in under my arm so you don't get any wetter. I don't want you getting an ear-ache in that shaved ear of yours."

Hiroki studied the man suspiciously for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of Nowaki's offer. Then he slipped under Nowaki's arm. He wrapped one of his own arms around Nowaki's slender waist. Pressed up against Nowaki's side, it was so warm. He could hear the rain pattering against the man's coat, but inside it was remarkably dry. In that moment, Hiroki felt wonderfully safe for the first time in a long time.

A soft sigh of peace escaped him.

Nowaki smiled at the quiet sound amidst the sprinkling raindrops. He gathered his long arm around Hiroki's shoulder, pulling the neko closer to him and they began walking again towards home together in comfortable silence.

* * *

><p>By the time they got home they were thoroughly soaked. They were taking off their shoes when Nowaki's cell phone rang.<p>

"Go throw your things in the dryer, Hiro-san, I'll come add mine in a minute," Nowaki said as he answered his phone. Hiroki nodded as he slipped out from under the man's coat and headed down the hall.

It was the hospital calling to ask if Nowaki could come in that evening. Since Tsumori's disappearance, they had been desperately understaffed. As he felt responsible for this, Nowaki reluctantly agreed.

Nowaki slipped out of his wet shoes and moved down the hallway into the main room.

"Hiro-san, that was the hospital, I have to…" Nowaki's words trailed off when he saw Hiroki. The neko was sitting on the couch, naked except for a towel. He was licking one of his lean forearms.

Now all neko hybrids, since they are part cat, had the urge to groom themselves, though most were taught from the time that they were kittens it was not considered polite to do it in public and was a practice better suited for the privacy of one's home. Hiroki had worked very hard over the course of his life to suppress his self-cleaning tendencies, but the combination of the stress of the last few days and of being drenched had momentarily weakened his self-control.

He was so intent on what he was doing Hiroki had not heard Nowaki enter the room.

Watching the near-naked neko and his vigorously lapping pink tongue was exposure to an eroticism, the likes of which Nowaki had never experienced before. He licked his own lips unconsciously as Hiroki turned his head to try and reach his shoulder.

It was then Hiroki saw Nowaki standing there.

Nowaki watched as a delightful blush started just above the small "V" shaped patch of fur on Hiroki's chest and traveled up the neko's neck, until finally it reached his cheeks. The professorial pet was acutely embarrassed, but he tried to cover it.

"Nowaki, don't you know it's rude to stare?"

"I'm sorry, Hiro-san, it's just that you look so sexy right now," Nowaki breathed.

Hiroki's brow furrowed as he studied the man, trying to figure out if Nowaki was teasing him.

"Please don't stop." Nowaki's tone was pleading.

Hiroki's eyes narrowed and he gazed thoughtfully at Nowaki for a moment. Then he said, "come here, Nowaki."

Nowaki moved over to Hiroki as if in a dream. He sat down on the couch when Hiroki patted the cushion beside him. He was stunned when the neko grabbed the bottom of his wet T-shirt and began pulling it off over his dark head.

Hiroki tossed the garment on the floor. "You mentioned the other day that you thought it would be fun to take a bath together sometime."

It was true, Nowaki had mentioned that at some point in passing when the two had been curled up together in bed. He couldn't remember for the life of him now, the context of the conversation or how it had even come up.

"I did." Nowaki found that his tongue suddenly felt thick in his mouth and the words were difficult to say.

"How's this then…" Hiroki leaned over and licked up Nowaki's neck. He stopped at the base of the man's ear and sucked Nowaki's earlobe into his warm, wet mouth. Then he gently took it in between his teeth and gave it a tender tug before he released it, "…for bathing together?" As soon as he'd said this, Hiroki's tongue licked out again. He drew it along the underside of Nowaki's jaw.

Nowaki groaned.

Pair-bathing was something that nekos did with each other when they mated, this is part of why grooming in public had such negative associations for adult nekos.

Now Hiroki normally would never have been so bold, but as the thug at the warehouse had said earlier, it was getting close to neko hybrid heat season and perhaps the professor was beginning to experience a little bit of PHS (Pre Heat Syndrome). Also pair-grooming/bathing was part of the bonding process that cemented neko hybrid relations and as he and Nowaki had not yet fully consummated their pairing, and since Akihiko had tried to obscure Nowaki's mate mark, Hiroki might have also been operating under the instinct that their connection needed to be reaffirmed.

Whatever the reason for his behavior, however, Nowaki had no desire to question it. Hiroki's slightly rough tongue felt like magic on his skin.

Hiroki was lapping across Nowaki's collarbones when the phone rang again.

"Ignore it," Hiroki growled, he raised his head and nipped just alongside Nowaki's Adam's apple.

"Arrrrghhhh, I can't," Nowaki growled. "It might be the hospital again."

Nowaki looked at the number. It was from the Neko Clinic. He knew they might be calling with the results of all of Hiro-san's tests and given the direction things appeared to be heading, knowing how things were with the cinnamon cat was in terms of any possible STDs was probably a very good idea.

"Hiro-san, you should probably stop. It's the vet. I think I'd better take this."

"Hello," Nowaki wheezed into his cell. He tried to keep his voice level, but it was hard. Hiroki had completely ignored what he had said and had now moved down to his pectorals. He was licking a small circle around one of his nipples.

"Ah yes, is this Kusama-san?" a pleasant voice responded.

"Speaking," Nowaki gasped.

"Ah yes, well, this is Dr. Ochi from the Neko Clinic. I just wanted to give you a call and let you know that the results for all the tests we ordered yesterday for your neko, Hiro, have come back already."

"And?" Nowaki drew a deep breath; Hiroki was softly blowing on his recently tongued flesh.

"Well, you'll be pleased to know that your Kamijou cat came back clean. No feline HIV or any other STDs. He's really quite lucky given what he's been through."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Nowaki exhaled a sigh of relief and then followed that almost immediately with a soft curse under his breath as Hiroki moved his mouth directly over his nipple and began teasing it, alternating teeth and tongue.

Fortunately, Dr. Ochi didn't hear this, so the vet just continued on, "Now, Kusama-san, I don't really know how you plan to use your new neko, I usually try and stay out of my patients and their owners lives if I can, but If I might be so bold. I would suggest, however, that if you plan on being umm… intimate with your pet… that you maybe hold off on penetration for a few days. When I did my examination, it was obvious that poor Hiro had really been brutalized.

"Speaking of which, has he had any more PTSD attacks or other strange behavior?" Ochi asked.

"Strange behavior?" Nowaki panted. Hiroki had slipped off the couch and was now kneeling between his thighs. While the neko's mouth was drinking in the flavor of seme six-pack, Hiroki's hands were working on separating his owner from his pants.

"Well, just keep an eye on him and if you have any difficulties or he experiences any more episodes feel free to call me." Dr. Ochi offered helpfully. "Abuse cases are kind of a soft spot of mine. Even if it's after hours and you need some help, let me know. I am usually the vet on call so, just call the main line and it will transfer you to my cell."

"Thank you, Dr. Ochi, I will." Nowaki gulped. He flipped his phone shut without going through any of his usual polite goodbyes. He lifted his hips to help Hiroki slide his jeans off. Since they were damp they were kind of sticking to him.

As soon as his swelling cock was freed, Hiroki's mouth was on it.

"Hiro-san… Ahhhh… Hiro-san…" Nowaki panted, trying to get Hiroki's attention. He gently pushed the fevered neko back, reluctantly forcing Hiroki to disengage. He lifted Hiroki's chin in his hand.

Nowaki loved how it took Hiro-san's dazed eyes a few moments to refocus. The neko's chin was slick with spit. Nowaki couldn't help himself, he leaned over and licked it, then moved up to catch Hiroki's lips with a deep kiss.

This seemed to bring Hiroki back to his senses. Huge russet eyes looked at Nowaki questioningly.

"Hiro-san, Dr. Ochi said you're healthy, but that umm…" Nowaki was surprised to find himself a bit embarrassed, "well… that we should hold off on penetrative sex for a bit longer."

The tall man released Hiroki's chin. He anxiously watched the neko.

Hiroki's cheeks grew pink at Nowaki's news.

Nowaki held his breath to see if Hiro-san would get upset.

Instead, Hiroki surprised him by dropping his head, but not in embarrassment. The neko moved back to where he had been before Nowaki had disengaged him, extended his pink tongue again and licked up the length of Nowaki's stiff shaft. He paused at its base and looked up at Nowaki; the fires of lust in his eyes had by no means been extinguished.

"That's okay, Nowaki," Hiroki purred, "you know what they say, don't you?"

The stunned seme could only shake his head, he had no idea.

In a rare moment of hybrid humor, before his mouth resumed its interrupted activity, Hiroki said, "If you can't join 'em… lick 'em."

* * *

><p><strong>Old AN;<strong>

**So do you all hate me now? If not for being such a terrible cock tease then for my atrocious sense of humor? Okay, so I wanted a little fun after all that drama yesterday. Don't worry, I promise you, you will get your egoist lemons… just not yet. **

**And for those of you who think an initiating Hiroki is OOC- read JR Volume 12 and then you will have a good visual reference for this scene. It always makes me mad when people portray Hiroki as an insensitive or ungenerous lover. So, this is my stand against that kind of depiction. **

**Tomorrow we will return to Misaki/Akihiko, but I promise to throw a little egoist in there. Misaki, I feel will end up a little OOC, but what can I say… I like my Misa-kitty to have some balls, anyway… you'll see what I mean if I can manage to pull it out of my head and on to the page for you, that is.**

**Also, thank you everyone who was so supportive of my being a teacher and not like, "What is a pervert like this doing loose among young people?" I promise, I keep all my perverse inclinations 2-dimensional. **

**Hooray Midnight Reader!- so great to find another JR teacher fanfic person out there. I wonder how many JR fan academics there are in the world. My guess would be more than a few.**

**Nadiwa Yagari- you keep reviewing and I will keep hollering back at you!**

**Avery – Thank you so much for writing in. It means a lot when someone who doesn't normally review feels strongly enough to write such a great review. And I can't understand your boyfriend. Such a title to me would indicate that the person being called such was the recipient of a pure and enduring love.**

**X ( ) – I have decided that you remain anonymous because you don't wish to be stalked by authors who get addicted to your reviews. When I didn't hear from you last night by your usual hour, I was most disappointed and retired to bed alone with my sighs, especially after you had teased me so with the threat of a spanking the previous day. So I was so delighted to not see one but two reviews from you today.**

**And yes (my turn to blush) I am a bit naïve (too long cloistered in the ether of ideas and not enough in the "real" world), glad you find it to be in a good way, (though I'm not quite sure what that means). **

**NocturnalOtaku- so glad to hear from you again and that you are enjoying. Calm before the storm indeed!**

**Chiharu Moka, fefe77777, kiyo12, Madame Masquerade 64, lastbloom, FreshPrinceLover, lillemmi,- I bake you cookies in my brain each day for your reviews! Love them.**

**Kirakrz- Great comments as always! I am trying to figure out how to get Shinoda in to the fic even as I type this.**

**Egoistfangirl- I am loving your reviews! (notice they are getting longer too, hooray!)**

**Ichigo Kousei- perhaps not quite the rain scene you were envisioning, but I put it in there for you… hope that made you smile. I promise there will be lemons coming up!**

**Teabags- you do indeed deserve credit for the inspiration of that line. Only I had to go with the Yankee "ass" and not the much more refined UK "arse." (ha ha) **

**Okay, going to stop now before my author's ramblings get to be as long as my chapters. Seriously you all totally make my day!**


	44. Slap: Egoist, Romantica

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Forty-Four: Slap**

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><p>Nowaki was fixing a late lunch. After he and Hiro-san had "pair-bathed" the new couple had taken a real bath together as well, which had delighted him to no end. As he cooked the young medical student looked across the open bar of the counter, watching his new mate with love-filled eyes<p>

Hiroki was curled up on the couch grading papers. That he was grading was a good sign, Nowaki thought, because it indicated that the professor hadn't been too traumatized by what had happened at Usami's and was feeling hopeful about the prospect of being able to return to work.

To Nowaki, his contemplative cinnamon catman looked completely adorable…as usual.

Hiroki was dressed now, which saddened Nowaki just a bit, but the shirt he was wearing was open at the throat, the top buttons left casually undone. Being this way, Nowaki had constant access to the vision of Hiro-san's fine collarbones. He could spend all day gazing on that lovely part of his neko professor, as well as his re-established mate-mark on Hiroki's strong neck.

Actually, Nowaki realized that he might have been just a tad overzealous, as Hiro-san sported quite a few other claim marks on his body now. He smiled as he noticed that every so often, however, Hiroki would unconsciously reach his long fingers up and touch his original mark, as if to make sure it was still there.

Nowaki himself was going to have to wear a turtle neck when he went to work that evening as the heated hybrid had made more than a few marks of his own.

"Hiro-san?" Nowaki stepped out from behind the counter.

"Hmmmmmm?" Hiroki was considering a particularly bad sentence. His tail was only slightly vibrating, however, as he was still feeling relatively relaxed following the pair's various baths. One ear cocked forward while the other remained back.

Over the last few days, Nowaki had learned quite a bit about his new neko. This particular ear posture indicated that the hybrid was only half-paying attention.

"Do you think my butt is too big?"

"Hmmmmmm?"

"I said do you think my butt is too big?" Nowaki repeated. To underscore his question Nowaki moved further into the room and turned slightly so that Hiroki could have a clear view of his posterior.

Nowaki watched as his motion caught the feline professor's eyes. Hiroki's rear facing ear swiveled slowly forward and the neko tilted his head. The hybrid peered at him over the edge of his reading glasses which had slid precariously down on the bridge of his nose. Hiroki's large russet eyes were perplexed.

"What the hell kind of question is that, Nowaki?"

"Well, it's just when we were at Usami-san's and you yelled for me, you said I had a _giant ass._" Nowaki wasn't actually all that concerned about it; he really just wanted Hiro-san's attention.

Hiroki's eyes widened with incredulity at first, then they narrowed and the cinnamon catman blushed as he glanced at Nowaki's delightful backside.

The professor dropped his gaze back down to his papers. "First, I don't recall yelling, I think I just issued a rather loud request." Hiroki sniffed sounding slightly annoyed. "Second, given the direness of the situation, my sentence structure was perhaps not the best. So when I said 'giant' I was referring to your overall very tall body structure and not really any one part in particular."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning your ass is fine, Nowaki." Hiroki's cheeks grew even pinker as he said this. He started reading his papers again and one ear rotated back.

"You're sure?" Nowaki asked, desiring not to be so quickly dismissed.

"Of course I'm sure, you big goof. Your butt is perfect. I should know, I spend enough time looking at it," Hiroki growled, preoccupied now with his papers.

Watching the cinnamon catman closely, Nowaki realized that because he was only half- paying attention now, Hiro-san was not even really aware of the truth he had just uttered. Hiroki was so oblivious, in fact, to what he'd said about Nowaki's backside, his face didn't even flush at all.

Mollified by Hiro-san's answer and pleased that he'd just learned another important thing about his new mate, Nowaki moved back behind the counter and happily resumed making lunch, completely unaware that the moment he started moving, Hiroki's eyes had glanced up again and tailgated him all the way back into the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, there was someone else who was also happily making a late lunch, a slender chocolate Misaki kit-teen. This was the first time in weeks that the neko gourmet had been able to successfully cook a meal without being molested.<p>

Every once in a while, Misaki would stop what he was doing and peer out into the dining room. So far Usagi-san had remained obediently at the table as he had been directed. Currently the author was just sitting there silently, smoking a cigarette. He seemed to be deep in thought, a rather dazed look on his handsome face.

Feeling assured that he could continue un-bothered, Misaki sighed gratefully and returned to his cooking.

* * *

><p>As Akihiko sat there, he realized he was in shock. A cacophony of emotions clamored inside him.<p>

First of all, he had never really expected Hiroki to say that he didn't want to come back. And then, when he had been engaged in his act of coercion, he certainly had not _ever_ entertained the notion that the Kamijou cat might yell for that big, black-haired young seme.

_What is the world coming to?_ Akihiko thought.

But even more than that were the actions that followed from his Takahashi kitten.

_What in the hell was Misaki thinking, challenging that giant, Kusama?"_

Misaki was just a neko after all, and still a "kit-teen" at that, not even really fully an adult yet. As little as the chocolate hybrid was too, if Kusama had decided to take Misaki up on his challenge, the small neko could have no doubt easily been killed.

In his entire life, no one had ever protected him like that before.

Part of the reason for Misaki's actions and what Akihiko was unaware of was, that each time he fucked his kitten; he inevitably would leave some kind of mark on Misaki's neck. It had become a habit of his, started after he read a book on neko care that described such an action as a means of displaying dominance. What Akihiko didn't realize was that this action went deeper than a simple articulation of power: it was also something that happened when nekos paired

Like pair-grooming/bathing, mating-marks also served to bond the hybrids, so that each time Akihiko bit or sucked his kitten's skin into lividity, he was binding the young Takahashi more tightly to him. And of course a loyal and selfless cat like a Takahashi would go to great lengths to protect its mate, even if it was an uke kitten. Plus, Misaki really did love his horny rabbit.

Said silver-backed rabbit glanced up and saw Misaki watching him from the kitchen. As soon as their eyes met, Misaki blushed and looked away.

Akihiko ground out the butt of his cigarette and grabbed another.

Even more disconcerting than the small neko coming to his defense, was Misaki's articulation that he loved him.

Now while he had told Misaki numerous times that he loved him and most all of those had been true in some sense, the emerald-eyed hybrid had never once offered a similar declaration. That the poor, obviously terrified, Misaki had shouted it at the older neko and his giant human seme was quite extraordinary.

Again, Akihiko could not recall the last time anyone had told him that he was loved.

Even that fiery Kamijou cat, though he had perhaps once loved him, had never had the gumption to say it to his face.

Yes, the Takahashi kitten's bold declaration was really something. But even more amazing to Akihiko was what had happened after that.

* * *

><p>After Hiroki and Nowaki had exited, Akihiko had sat for several minutes on the floor trying to regain his bearings. He was thinking about everything that had transpired and all that had been said. He'd looked over and watched as Misaki piled all the broken pieces from the shattered tea-service on the serving tray. The kitten was clucking angrily about "stained carpet" as he did this.<p>

"Misaki…" He had been about to ask the kitten about his actions but before Akihiko could get any further, Misaki had walked over to him with surprising speed and then... the small Takahashi kitten had slapped him.

It wasn't as if the blow hurt. In fact the neko had hit him so lightly it'd hardly stung. No, what truly impacted Akihiko was that Misaki had the balls to strike anyone, let alone his owner. Akihiko couldn't have been any more surprised than if someone had suddenly informed him he was a fictional character and not a real person.

Akihiko looked at Misaki, his lavender eyes huge. "Misaki, you just slapped me," he mumbled incredulously.

"Yes," Misaki said defiantly, puffing up his thin chest. His ears were straight up and his tail whipped around angrily behind him. "And don't say another word Usagi-san, unless you want me to do it again." The chocolate kitten said this with conviction, though his voice wavered a bit at the end.

"You deserved it." Misaki declared, though he didn't sound quite entirely convinced. "And you should be happy, Usagi-san, that I'm the one who slapped you, rather than Kusama-san," he added. "Otherwise he would have knocked your rabbit ass right into next week."

Akihiko shook his head. What had happened to his shy selfless kitten? He started to open his mouth again, despite Misaki's warning but the small chocolate cat cut him off.

"You told me once I should be more selfish, and so I have decided to take your advice." Misaki informed him. "I am mad at you for your awful behavior, Usagi, and not just from today but from…umm a bunch of other days too and..." Misaki drew a deep breath, shoring up his resolve. "I am staying mad at you for as long as I like!"

This hardly struck Akihiko as particularly selfish. In fact if he hadn't been so shocked by the slap, he probably would have laughed outright at his fuming pet. Still, the earnestness of Misaki's expression dislodged something in him that had already been loosened by the kitten's earlier display.

"And you're going to mind me today, Usagi-san… I mean it!… and, and… I'm making yellow eggs and a green pepper stir-fry for lunch and you're going to eat every green pepper I put on your plate, and if you don't… I…I might just decide to uh… rabbit punch you again!"

With that, the tiny chocolate neko had huffed out of Hiroki's room, stopping only long enough to pick up the serving tray that now offered only shards. His tail fluffed straight out behind him.

* * *

><p>So now, here Akihiko sat, waiting for a torturous meal of green peppers.<p>

The author was well aware that he could have easily overpowered the small neko. As his owner he could have severely punished Misaki for his outburst, or even taken the kitten to the pound and had him put down for slapping him. In fact, as a human, he didn't need a reason as good as a slap to send Misaki off to any number of terrible fates.

Akihiko knew that he was really the one with all the power, but he was surprised to find after the events of the morning, he didn't really want all that power so much anymore. That was why he was being so compliant at the moment.

His Takahashi kitten had defended him, declared his love for him, and punished him.

While any one of these things might have left him unmoved, together Akihiko realized they had caused within him an irrevocable shift. He found his mind wandering momentarily to Hiroki, once more. Suddenly the changes in the Kamijou cat seemed far more understandable. While Akihiko had professed love to Misaki and thought he knew what love was… he hadn't really understood what it was at all… until now.

Lavender eyes looked up into emerald ones as Misaki carried both their plates to the table.

Misaki set the author's plate down first and then sat down to his own.

Akihiko eyed his food warily, and was shocked to discover that there were only two small pieces of green pepper on his plate, when he'd clearly seen Misaki chop up at least three whole ones. He looked over at Misaki who consciously avoided meeting his eyes.

Misaki blushed as he focused on his own pepper-laden plate.

Akihiko found a rare, small, true smile tweak the corners of his mouth. He reached out and tousled his Takahashi kitten's brown head tenderly. When Misaki didn't immediately pull away, Akihiko's chest was suddenly filled with a strange warmth.

Ever the wordsmith, Akihiko suddenly realized that "rabbit-punched" was not really the appropriate phrase for what Misaki had done to him. "Pussy whipped" he decided, looking at the kit-teen might be a more appropriate term.

This realization still did not prevent him from trying to hide his two pieces of pepper under his eggs.

In the end though Misaki found them and before they had left the table that day Akihiko had eaten them both. The neko rewarded his owner for this, despite Akihiko's naughty attempt at avoidance, by giving the man some warm, sweet "Misaki" for dessert.

* * *

><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**Okay, so here is today's chapter. Sorry it's late today. So I know Misaki's violence might not sit well with some, but come on, Akihiko deserved it. Hope you liked the little egoist "omake" as well. Sorry to disappoint those of your (Madame Masquerade 64, Yaoifangirl4ever, Ichigo Kousei, FreshPrinceLover ) who were hoping for a full blown lemon. But can I entice you by saying there will be…**

**Thank you to everyone who has offered comments on the character of Hiroki (Midnight Reader, Kirakrz, X, Midoritenchi90- thanks also for the rec.-) I love the comments and observations. Makes it feel like a community.**

**X ( ) – loved your long review and you are right- What was I thinking when I wrote that kissing Nowaki brought Hiroki back to his senses? I wondered if you might be an educator of some sort. Your numbered critique points (which I love) was one of my first clues. By the way oh other, JR academic, may I ask what you teach?**

**Aquamilk- thank you for your review, I am glad you love the story. I am curious about why you ask? I'll tell you what, if you will elaborate on why it is important for you to know, I will truthfully offer you my orientation. Seem like a fair exchange?**

**Ichigo Kousei-So glad you liked the rain scene. You too teabags!**

**Lillemmi- hope you weren't disappointed by the bitch slapping Misaki.**

**Kirakrz- I loved all your comments. I think the point about the chocolates (and might I add the roses) show Hiroki's awareness of what will make Nowaki happy. It means a lot when a gift is given, particularly when the thing given is something that said giver (Hiroki) has no interest in himself. Also I totally agree on Hiroki's maturity and the depth that his internal dialogue conveys. I think too many people just focus on the exterior appearance of his character. (Can you tell I have a little crush on him? Actually, I wouldn't mind being in the middle of a Kusama-Kamijou sandwich *blush*.)**

**Simply emotional – good to hear from you again and so glad you're liking the story! You to FeFe7777!**

**Avery- loved your comments and glad you came back with another review. Keep me posted on the BF situation. Give your Hiro-san, my regards. And I do think about this a lot (too much. I think funny to be neko obsessed when I'm really a dog person. Maybe my next egoist fic will be PUPPY-NOWAKI?)**


	45. Pills: Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Forty-Five: Pills**

* * *

><p>Now the thing about neko hybrids was that every breed was slightly different, with certain personality traits and physical characteristics specific to that line. For example, the Miyagi nekos were known for their love of teasing, their large size, and tufted ears, the Takahashis for their selflessness and their six nipples, the Kamijous for their pride and their "V" shaped patch of chest fur (even the female Kamijous had this), the Takatsukis for their precociousness and… well…<p>

Miyagi, who had never really paid attention to these sorts of breed particularities, was about to find out what else.

* * *

><p>The professorial hybrid was sitting at his desk in the midst of the disaster area that was his office, trying to get something done and having a hard time because he was feeling very distracted.<p>

It had been a disconcerting day, to say the least.

First, there was that whole masturbation scene with Shinobu.

Miyagi (more reluctantly than he cared to admit) had left the kitten at his apartment that morning because the caramel neko had still been running a fever. Also, since Shinobu was currently suspended from school for fighting, he really hadn't wanted to have the little cat following him around to his classes all day, sighing about "fate."

Then he had substituted in Kamijou's morning classes. It had been a long time since Miyagi had been forced to teach an intro class. He had forgotten how horrible it was. No wonder the cinnamon professor scowled so much.

And now, not two minutes earlier, a weasely faced man, way older than most University students and rather rough looking, had stopped by the office looking for his new junior professor. Miyagi told him Kamijou was out ill, but that the neko would most likely be back the next day (he hoped). After the man had left, Miyagi wondered if he had done the right thing. Something about the man had left him with the sinking suspicion that Kamijou might be in some kind of larger trouble than his current mess with Dean Takatsuki.

Miyagi sighed. He sincerely hoped not. He had grown to rather like the other neko, though they'd only known each other for such a brief time, and he really wanted to be able to work with him. As he was pondering this, the phone on his desk rang. The old tom answered and was relieved to hear Dean Takatsuki's voice on the other end of the line. He'd been trying to reach the man since the previous evening about the cat-fight in his office yesterday.

"Ah, Miyagi-kun, I know it's taken me a bit of time to get back to you," the Dean murmured. "Things here at the conference have been rather busy." To Miyagi's sharp neko ears, however, the background noises sounded more like a karaoke bar than a conference. "I trust that everything is all right with the wee Shinobu-chan? No problems, I hope?" Takatsuki asked, though his tone did not sound at all hopeful.

"Ah, yes, about that, Dean Takatsuki," Miyagi began. "I wanted to speak with you about what happened in my office yesterday…"

"A terrible display… Most distressing!" the Dean exclaimed. "Especially for hybrid that had previously showed such promise, but as I said to Kamijou-kun, I will meet with him on Monday. I hope in the meantime that he has been helping you to clean up that mess he made."

"Well, about that, Dean Takatsuki..." Miyagi hesitated as he lit a cigarette, one of a rather long succession that day. "You see, I had a long talk with Shinobu last night and he confessed to me that he was the one who instigated the attack. He bit Kamijou-kun first. The poor fellow had to have nine stitches in his ear as a result and there wasn't a scratch on Shinobu." Miyagi paused to allow the significance of this to sink in before continuing.

"And Shinobu confessed that he'd read the file on Kamijou-kun that you'd left out on your desk. He was threatening the poor fellow with blackmail. This was why Kamijou-kun grabbed him."

"I see." Then the Dean surprised Miyagi by saying, "I suppose I should have expected as much."

"What? Why's that?" Miyagi was suddenly confused.

"Well, you see, Miyagi-kun, it's those pills I gave to you for Shinobu-chan."

"The Takatsukis are a difficult breed: they tend to mature very early. As a neko yourself, I'm sure that you know the common age for first heat cycles in females and uke male hybrids is usually eighteen, sometimes as late as twenty." The Dean sounded embarrassed as he said this. "But the Takatsuki neko can go into a first heat as early as thirteen." Dean Takatsuki breathed a deep sigh.

"The group home told Risako this when she offered to take Shinobu-chan in. That's what those pills are for that I gave you yesterday; they suppress his heat cycle and his adolescent libido as well. You know many neko hybrids can be very active before their first heat. The pills also keep young Takatsuki's curiosity levels down and discourages early… um... 'engagement,' shall I say.

"It's a common practice to medicate like this for the breed, I have been told. Most people don't want the female kittens having kittens or dealing with all the antics of an overly-hormonal young Takatsuki uke male. As you can see, they are quite volatile even before such issues take effect.

"I guess there are some other peculiarities in regards to their mating as well. But Risako never fully specified. I don't think she thought we'd ever be keeping her ward as long as we have.

"Anyway," the Dean's weary voice brightened a bit. "I trust that a stable, responsible neko like yourself surely gave Shinobu-chan his pill this morning."

The Dean's condescending tone when he spoke of Miyagi's "responsible" neko-hood rankled the tom. "Of course, Dean Takatsuki," Miyagi lied amiably, looking over to his shelf and eying the bottle he had completely forgotten about.

"Oh, I am so glad!" The Dean exhaled his relief. "I am ashamed to tell you this, Miyagi-kun, but things have been so busy there at the University and, well, with getting ready for the trip…" Dean Takatsuki's voice suddenly sounded very sheepish. "Well, I am embarrassed to admit… we had run out of the pills last week and I'd only just gotten them refilled yesterday before I dropped Shinobu with you." Miyagi did not like the sound of this.

_Responsible neko? What about responsible human?_ "Umm, what does that mean exactly, Sir?"

"Ahhh, well, it should be fine, nothing to worry about." The Dean sounded too eager for Miyagi to trust the man's words.

"I'm not quite sure how long actually it takes without the pills for a heat cycle to start," Dean Takatsuki finally admitted. "This has happened once or twice before, with no real problems except a bit more moodiness on Shinobu-chan's part, perhaps.

"Though in the past the kitten has not been without his meds for quite this long… Still, nothing too bad has ever happened. And now that you've started giving them to him again, I am sure he will be just fine in a day or two."

Obviously anxious to change the subject, Dean Takatsuki quickly went on. "But I must say after what you have told me; I am thinking that perhaps I was maybe a bit too harsh on Kamijou-kun."

"Well, sir, I don't mean to seem insubordinate, but after Shinobu told me what happened, I took over Kamijou's classes today. So he has not apologized to his students yet. And…" Miyagi spoke carefully. "I was wondering if you might not re-consider allowing him to come back. After all, it really wasn't his fault."

"Hmmmm..." Dean Takatsuki pondered what Miyagi had told him. In the background Miyagi heard someone call Takatsuki's name, telling him it was his turn to go up and sing.

"I'll tell you what, Miyagi-kun." Takatsuki suddenly sounded even more distracted. "I think I would still like to meet with both Kamijou-kun and Shinobu-chan on Monday, but in the meantime, would you call the professor for me and tell him he can finish out the week?"

"Of course! Thank you, Dean Takatsuki." Miyagi breathed a sigh of relief. However, he found his relief to be incredibly short-lived as the Dean added:

"Oh, and my wife asked that we stay on after the conference a few days so that she can spend some additional time with her family. I hope you don't mind looking after Shinobu-chan for a bit longer than we'd originally agreed?"

"Well, um..." Thinking about last night and this morning he certainly did mind. Miyagi stubbed out his cigarette and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

Before he could respond, the Dean interjected. "Having this time I am sure would greatly help me attain the most positive outlook for my meeting with Kamijou-kun on Monday." Now Miyagi at least knew where Shinobu had acquired his propensity for blackmail.

"Of course, Dean Takatsuki, it's my honor to assist you," Miyagi said wearily.

"Come on, Takatsuki, we found your song and it's been uploaded," someone cried drunkenly next to the Dean. Over the phone, Miyagi vaguely recognized the melody of _You Light Up My Life_ begin to play in the background.

"Excellent, I'll see you and Shinobu-chan on Monday!" Takatsuki, without saying goodbye, hung up the phone.

"Great!" Miyagi sighed. "Now I'm stuck with a hormonal kitten all weekend." He went over to the shelf at looked at the small bottle that had caused so much disruption in his life.

Of course, provided this new information, it all made sense now, looking back at the Shinobu kit's behavior the last two days: the aggression, the overreacting, the yelling, all the kitten's tears yesterday. Not to mention the kitten's terrible ignorance about the most basic aspects of his own sexuality. Poor Shinobu had been obviously caught in a crisis of adolescent Pre-Heat Syndrome.

Then Miyagi's eyes grew narrow as he thought about Shinobu's fever and his recent and repeated "breakings." He realized that Shinobu had been rapidly moving from PHS to HS. His mouth suddenly went dry and Miyagi licked his lips nervously. Without wasting another minute, he grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and scribbled a cancellation note to stick on the door of his afternoon class.

He needed to get home and get Shinobu back on his pills before even more Takatsuki hell broke loose.

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><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**Lillemmi and Nadiwa Yagari, your wish for terrorist has been realized! I know it's not the same as egoist, but I think I feel a terrorist lemon coming on…Do you? (Hear that, ASTROZOMBIE* and xMoymoy?)**

**So glad you all seemed to like my feisty Misaki. Now will just have to see if this change of heart for Akihiko sticks.**

**Teabags- "Cheeky" and "Purr-usual" you are too brilliant!**

**Madame Masquerade 64- so glad you weren't too disappointed in the lack of lemon and that the bitch-slapping kitten tickled you so much.**

**Ichigo Kousei- glad I can keep you entertained. If there was a way I could figure out how to support myself just writing this sort of thing, believe me I would. Anyone have any ideas? I'm open.**

**Nadiwa Yagari- glad you have caught the review bug too. If you are willing to read and respond to my writing, can I not return the favor?**

**Kirakrz- I think one of my favorite Nowaki moments is when he tells Hiroki on his birthday that every day with Hiro-san is a present. (Avery, maybe you should show your BF that page?) Also, you and Midnight Reader should be pleased that I have figured out how to include Shinoda in the fic, though he won't show up for a bit yet. And Thanks for the congrats, couldn't do it without you!**

**X ( ) - Hah! I had the suspicion you taught English with your acute attention to the twists and turns of a phrase. Also, may I say as one who comes from a long line of educators, there's no such thing as "just a teacher." Please always feel free to share. While I can't say that I necessarily consider this writing art, I have found the most rewarding creative experiences to be collaborative, and this collaboration is facilitated by your thoughtful comments.**

**FreshPrinceLover- your guess about the heat cycles a long ways back was correct, though it's taken a while to get here. You are too smart!**

**Lastbloom, NocturnalOtaku - I appreciate you letting me know your reading along with me!**

**Aquamilk- I am curious as to what makes this story gay as opposed to yaoi in your classification, I know there are definite distinctions as I have read enough of both. And to be true to my word, while I don't normally go around proclaiming my orientation on the Internet, neither am I ashamed to admit it: I am queer.**

**Avery- Hope your BF doesn't get freaked out by the story. You could also tell him that if he allowed you to call him 'Hiro-san' it would show that he is a highly evolved and non-homophobic male. Something to be very proud of, I think. Regardless, you can always call him that in your heart. I have been now seriously thinking about Puppy Nowaki. Any ideas out there, people?**

**Egoistfangirl- I ran in parallelograms when I saw your amazing long review. Ah… the pain of cartoon crushes, I know them so well… Where are the Nowakis in the world? And how mad am I that there is not more egoist in the last two JR volumes? Crazy furious, I tell you! Oh, and by the way, the line about stabbing Akihiko's balls with a plastic spork killed me. So funny! **


	46. Chance: Tsumori

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Forty-Six: Chance**

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><p>Tsumori was sitting in the knackers' van, up in the front on the floor between the passengers' seats. Jun was hand-feeding him little bits of food from his lunch. The blond neko was disgusted with himself for taking the food in this way so eagerly, but the knackers had not been feeding him well the last few days (food anyways) and he was starving.<p>

It seemed to please Jun exceedingly every time Tsumori's tongue accidentally brushed one of the big man's fingers. So much so, that even though he hated to admit it, Tsumori had started licking them occasionally on purpose. The new neko had decided that staying in the larger knacker's good graces was key to his survival at this point. And really after all that had been done to him, or that he'd been forced to do, what were a few sucked fingers? He'd certainly had much more daunting appendages in his mouth recently.

Being in the front of the van, Tsumori had been feeling more hopeful about the possibility of escape. If there was just some way that he could get out of one of the front doors: outside of the passenger doors, all of the other doors to the vehicle only opened from the outside.

He had gotten so banged up by the knackers in the time he'd been with them (in more ways than one) that the human-hybrid knew even if he could slip out, he would never be able to outrun the men in his current state. Still, the van was parked now at the south entrance to the University, where it had been for the last several hours as the neko-nappers had been waiting, watching for Hiroki to arrive. There were a lot of people around, students mostly, and Tsumori figured if he could just make it out far enough, maybe someone would see him and intervene, or perhaps, if he could get into a group of people, the knackers wouldn't want cause a scene and would abandon him.

Not long ago Ren had become furious that Hiroki hadn't already shown up at the University, contrary to the schedule their captive had provided. Sick of waiting, and despite Jun's protestations, the little knacker had decided to do some reconnaissance of the situation on his own and had gotten out of the van and disappeared into the grounds of the University.

Now that it was just he and Jun in the car, Tsumori knew that this would be his best chance to get away. He was disappointed, however, looking around to see that there was nothing immediately accessible he could use to clout the big knacker with.

In between bites of food, Tsumori looked down. He fingered the leash hanging off of the heavy collar he was wearing. If he could just figure out a way to get behind Jun, maybe he could choke him into unconsciousness.

Lifting his head back up to accept another bite, the new neko considered the strength of the big man. In his compromised state, Tsumori wasn't sure that he would be strong enough to handle the big knacker's struggles. Still, what were his options? He had to make a move soon. Time was running out.

The next bit of food Jun offered Tsumori was an olive. The blond neko bumped it with his nose as he pretended to take it, knocking it out of Jun's hand. It hit the floor and rolled behind the seat.

Tsumori turned to retrieve it.

"No, kitty-chan, dirty," Jun scolded, "look, I'll get you another."

"How can you say something like that, you dumb fuck, after some of the things you've stuck in my mouth" Tsumori said. (The knackers' hygiene was not the greatest). But what came out of his mouth was "Meoow rowr rowr," which he hoped sounded to Jun something like: "don't worry master, I don't mind."

Apparently it did, as Jun said, "Okay, you get it and I'll trade you for a clean one."

"Ruurrreep," Tsumori said in eager agreement as he ducked behind the seat.

Tsumori gathered the length of leash between his two hands. Jun was humming contentedly to himself in between bites as he continued to eat his lunch while he waited for Tsumori. The blond neko's hands were shaking badly. He'd never done anything like this, not to another human anyway.

It was true, he'd dealt some horrible physical and sexual abuse to Hiro, but then Hiro had been only a neko after all. Or so he'd thought at the time. Tsumori's cheeks flushed with shame. He'd never used to feel too much shame about much of anything before, he realized.

Tsumori pulled his lead tight and stood up on his knees behind Jun.

"Did you find it yet, Mori-chan?" Jun said, not bothering to turn around.

"Yow," Tsumori replied, which was as close to "almost" as the new neko could get. He raised his hands and…

Just then the driver's side door opened and Ren stuck his weasely face in. Tsumori barely had time to get his hands down.

"Stupid fuckin' hybrid's out sick today," Ren growled, climbing into the driver's seat.

Tsumori grabbed the olive and slid back around next to Jun.

"Oh?" Jun said. He took the "dirty" olive from the blond new neko and tousled Tsumori's head affectionately.

"Yeah, some huge ass hybrid told me. Biggest fucking neko I've ever seen. Oh, hey, look, there it is!" Ren said, pointing to Miyagi as the old tom was leaving the campus on his way to check on Shinobu.

"Anyway, he said the Kamijou will be back tomorrow. So, it's tomorrow or never, I say. I'm getting sick of this waiting around shit, okay, Jun?"

"Jun?"

He turned and looked angrily at Jun who wasn't really paying attention. The big man was too interested in feeding his human-hybrid another olive.

"That's it, Jun, I've had it!" Ren snapped as he started the car, "We're going to the Doc's now!"

At this declaration, Tsumori almost choked, but somehow he managed to fight back the urge and instead opened his mouth wider pulling Jun's fingers holding the olive deep into his mouth. He sucked down on them seductively as the big knacker slid his hand back.

Jun reached up and stroked the blond's neko ear with spit-sticky fingers. "No, Ren, I've decided we're keeping him for good. Fuck the Doctor! Mori-chan's not going!" Jun's anger transmitted from his hand to the human-hybrid's ear. The power of it shot all the way down Tsumori's spine and made him shiver.

"I'm taking him to the Doctor's, Jun!"

"If you try it, Ren, I'm pulling Mori-chan out of here and he and I are going home. And you can fucking take yourself to the Doctor's!"

Ren fiercely pulled the van out into the street. The small knacker's eyes flashed at the new neko, they were filled with jealousy and hurt at his big partner's words.

Tsumori could feel Ren's cold hatred without the man even needing to touch him.

"I'm not going to talk about this with you any more right now, Jun. Especially when you're being so fucking ridiculous! I'm taking us back home and we'll finish the conversation there!" Ren hissed. Then he shouted at Tsumori "Get your ass in the back of the van, you stupid cat shit."

Tsumori hesitated a minute before starting to move.

Then Jun said much more kindly, though he was glaring murderously at Ren, "Do like Little Daddy tells you, Mori-chan. Go sit in the back of the van."

The blond obeyed now, moving into a far corner. He pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapped his arms around them and bowed his head. He thought about how often he'd called Hiro names like that.

He sighed. He thought about avoiding the Doctor once again and about what would probably happen to him when they got back to the apartment.

Tears welled up in the blond new neko's eyes. He couldn't tell if they were from remorse, relief, or fear.

When he'd been a human, Tsumori had never cried.

* * *

><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**No shout outs here… I will add them to my next chapter. I wanted to get this little bit done before I set to work on the lemon. I am taking the day just to write today… I am so lazy… and now I have finished this I've just started on the Terrorist Lemon. Hope to have it up by this afternoon.**

**Sex scenes take a bit of time to write… there are so many parts to keep track of, who's doing what, what's going where and all…**

**Thanks for all the comments yesterday and like I said, I'll holler back after Shinobu-chin and Miyagi get it on (no cock block today…I promise!)! : )**


	47. Heat: Terrorist, Egoist

**Warning: Terrorist Lemon**

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><p><strong>Neko-Hiro<strong>

**Chapter Forty-Seven: Heat**

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><p>Miyagi walked into his apartment. He took off his shoes and hung up his things.<p>

"Shinobu?" He called out.

He put the pill bottle in his pants' pocket and entered the main room of the apartment. The first thing that the big neko noticed was that it smelled different. There was an enticingly spicy aroma overriding the usual smoky air of his home. His tufted ears perked forward curiously.

The big tom looked over at the kitchen; it didn't look like Shinobu had been cooking anything that might account for the heavenly fragrance filling his nostrils. And, from what he had witnessed of the small cat's culinary skills the previous evening, even if Shinobu had been cooking, it most certainly wouldn't have smelled like this.

Miyagi inhaled deeply; the scent was rather clovey. Underneath this was something that reminded Miyagi of the pure honey he used to steal as a kit-teen from the hive his mistress, Sensei, kept in her wild garden. There was something else too, that he couldn't identify, the tang of it was intoxicating.

"Shinobu?" Miyagi called again. He was aware that his plumed tail had taken on a rather excited swish; he frowned as he struggled to still it.

Miyagi heard a low keening sound coming from the bathroom. The noise sent an electric charge down his spine straight to his cock. Then he heard some splashing. The door opened and Shinobu stepped out into the hallway.

"Miyagi?" Shinobu's voice was very breathy.

Miyagi swallowed hard. Before him stood the young neko, wearing nothing but a big fluffy towel. Shinobu didn't even have his foster/id collar on. The towel jutted out provocatively at the small hybrid's groin.

"I don't know what's going on," Shinobu moaned, moving closer to Miyagi. His damp ears swiveled this way and that.

"There's something wrong with me… Every time I fix myself, I just end up broken again." Shinobu wrapped his arms around his torso, hugging himself. He had obviously spent quite a bit of time in a cold bath. He was shivering violently and his teeth were chattering; his slender fingers had taken on a bluish tint.

As Shinobu moved towards him, Miyagi became aware that the wonderful odor he had noticed on first entering his home intensified. His ears twitched back, his heart began to beat rapidly, and suddenly the apartment felt very warm. He shifted as the fabric of his trousers became increasingly tight.

_Oh shit._

Miyagi was surprised he had not recognized the scent right away, but every neko's smell was unique and it had been a long time since he'd been with a neko in full heat. Seme nekos didn't have heat cycles. As with most other species of seme, they were just pretty much more or less in a state of mild heat all the time.

The noir neko noted that the kitten's eyes seemed even bigger than usual and Shinobu's pupils were dilated. A low growling sound was being generated deep in the smaller hybrid's chest.

"Oi, Shinobu-chin, how long have you been in that tub?" Miyagi asked backing up a step.

"Too long," Shinobu gasped. He dropped his arms now and Miyagi could see the kitten's lean sides heaving. As he lowered his arms, Shinobu slowly drug his fingers across his chest. The growling in his throat turned into a moan that was perhaps one of the most musical sounds Miyagi's neko ears had ever encountered. He saw that small buds of Shinobu's aureola were slightly enlarged and darker than they had been last night and the nubs of the kitten's nipples were teasingly erect.

Miyagi found himself loosening his tie. It really was getting entirely too hot in his apartment. He took a few more steps back and sat down carefully in one of the dining room chairs.

Shinobu advanced towards him, his lean tail curled and uncurled instinctively. "Miyagi, you're out of lotion," he panted.

"What? But that was a new bottle," Miyagi sputtered.

"You're out of cooking oil too." Shinobu bit his bottom lip and looked embarrassed. A lovely pink hue filled his fevered cheeks.

"What in the hell, Shinobu?"

The kitten stepped up and used one knee to knock Miyagi's slightly parted thighs farther apart. He moved in between them and leaned in grabbing Miyagi's tie and pulled the dark male forward.

"I need you to fix me, Old Tom," Shinobu growled. "I can't do it myself." He punctuated this statement by bending down and lightly nipping Miyagi's bottom lip.

With his brain awash in Takatsuki pheromones, Miyagi was having a very hard time thinking clearly.

_I have to act responsibly here.  
><em>

"Uh, Shinobu," Miyagi's voice was so hoarse it was little more than a whisper. "You're in heat.

"Dean Takatsuki told me he hadn't been giving you your pills. Why didn't you tell me what they were for?"

The small neko shifted his stance as he stared at Miyagi. Loosely tucked, Shinobu's only covering was threatening to unravel. The towel slipped down one side of the kitten's slender hips. Where the fabric dipped low in the middle, just above his groin, a thin band of sparse honey-gold fur peeped over. Miyagi had never seen anything so sensual.

"No one ever told me what they were for." Shinobu's ears flattened sideways. "They just told me I had to take them."

He licked his lips thoughtfully as he looked at Miyagi. His huge gray eyes were traveling up and down the big seme tom as though Miyagi was a buffet and he just couldn't decide where to start dishing up.

"Well, I have them here in my pocket and you're going to take one now." Miyagi's breathing was becoming labored.

"I'll get them, Miyagi," Shinobu purred. With that, the caramel catboy straddled one of Miyagi's muscular thighs and sat down on it.

"Shit, Shinobu," Miyagi gasped. He could feel Shinobu's bare backside, his heat heavy sac, through the thin fabric of his slacks. The catboy's tail slipped under Miyagi's thigh and wrapped around the big neko's knee, anchoring him there. Miyagi gasped as Shinobu rubbed one of his paws against the straining fabric at his crotch.

"That's not it!"

"Hush, Old Tom, I know!" Shinobu rumbled back.

Miyagi was startled by the ferocity in the young cat's voice. He looked down and saw Shinobu struggling with the front of his pants.

Even in the midst of his growing instinctual charge, Miyagi noted the kitten's slender fingers were shaking and he realized Shinobu, despite his seeming aggressiveness, was perhaps a bit frightened by what he was feeling and doing. This was Shinobu's first heat after all, and the kitten was so untried.

"Shinobu," Miyagi's voice was gruff with lust. Something in realizing the kitten's apprehension was incredibly arousing. He knew his seme senses were overpowering him.

_This kitten is going to be the death of me, _Miyagi thought again for about the fiftieth time that day.

"Ah, fuck it!"he growled. Drunk on Takatsuki pheromones, Miyagi suddenly pulled the towel off the heated teen hybrid, wrapped his powerful arms around Shinobu's slender waist, and slid off the chair, lowering both of them to the floor.

In moments Shinobu was on his back, the big tom pinning him to the ground.

Miyagi could no longer restrain himself. He first claimed smaller male's mouth. He pressed his lips against Shinobu's, his rough tongue sought entrance.

In his inflamed state, the kitten could not resist; Shinobu's ears shivered at the feel of Miyagi's tongue grazing the roof of his mouth. Shinobu was surprised, when he responded in kind, to feel Miyagi fiercely suck his tongue into his own smoky mouth.

He gasped when Miyagi broke the kiss and he felt the older male then nip along the edge of his jaw and down his neck.

Miyagi lowered his shaggy black head and made his second claim. Lips, teeth and tongue, branded the delicate flesh of the kitten's throat with a mate mark.

At the feel of this, an overwhelmingly powerful surge of sensation filled Shinobu. The caramel catboy pressed the back of his hand to his mouth and bit back a sob. Tears filled his eyes.

Miyagi felt this shift as Shinobu's tight chest heaved beneath his broad one. The big hybrid lifted himself up and looked down on the smaller male beneath him. His ears swiveled backwards and his expression grew wary when he saw the tears building like rain in Shinobu's storm-cloud colored eyes.

Shinobu turned his head to the side unable to meet Miyagi's uncomfortable gaze, discomfited and confused by what he was feeling.

Miyagi couldn't help it, the last of his defenses crumbled.

He leaned back down and licked up Shinobu's salty cheek. He nuzzled one of the smaller hybrid's fuzzy neko ears.

"Do you want me to stop, Kitten?" His voice was kind, but his eyes glittered and one brow arched giving him a rather playful air. His magnificent tail swished impatiently, awaiting Shinobu's answer.

Shinobu mistakenly read this as Miyagi mocking him. He rolled angrily on his side, as much as he was able beneath the big tom, and pulled his arms over his face. His tail whipped in agitation.

"Don't embarrass me, Miyagi, just because I don't know what to do," he sobbed.

"Oi, Shinobu-chin," Miyagi was surprised by the kitten's tears.

He rolled the little cat back over on to his back. Shinobu kept his face covered by his arms.

"Honestly, do you want me to stop?" Miyagi was concerned. Though his biology was all but overwhelming him, he certainly did not want to hurt the younger hybrid.

"NO! Alright!" Shinobu huffed, keeping his eyes obscured.

Miyagi could see the kitten redden under the shield of his arms. He leaned down and gently kissed Shinobu's sweet mouth, the only part of the young neko's face that was visible. Shinobu's sniffling was quickly replaced by a series of small gasps as Miyagi skillfully resumed his marking. He bit the kitten's collar bone just hard enough to leave the faintest signature of his teeth.

He then licked down Shinobu's chest. He took one of the kitten's nipples in his mouth. His tongue flicked back and forth over its tip, while he attended the kit-teen's other lonely bud with one of his large hands, pinching it between his fingers.

Shinobu's fevered flesh arched up into Miyagi's touch. His breath escaped him in rasping sighs.

Miyagi's mouth traversed the hot plain of the teen neko's taut belly. His hand followed his mouth and then overtook it. His fingers grazed the sensitive skin on the inside of Shinobu's thigh and then tickled over Shinobu's heat-tight shaft as he put another mate mark in the hollow of one of Shinobu's hips.

Shinobu hissed at the touch.

"Oi, Brat," Miyagi said, looking down at Shinobu's much abused member. "You've all but rubbed yourself raw."

"Shut up, Miya…" Shinobu started to mutter from behind his arm, but this was cut short as his chafed flesh was salved by the wet heat of the older hybrid's tongue and a warm hand cupped his balls.

It was here at the kitten's groin that the powerful perfume of Shinobu's heat was most potent. Miyagi inhaled deeply before he took the head of Shinobu's cock into his mouth between his curled lips. His agile tongue swirled around the sensitive head and then stretched out following the underside of the kitten's stiff shaft. Miyagi slid down the length of the caramel cat (apparently in addition to their size the Miyagi's also were bred without a gag reflex). His bobbing head took up a steady rhythm.

Shinobu mewled with pleasure.

As one of Miyagi's hands stroked Shinobu's silky sac and occasionally slipped back farther to tease the kitten's tender taint, the other carefully but firmly circled the base of Shinobu's cock, prolonging the young male's endurance. Shinobu was unconsciously raising his hips, wanting to thrust into Miyagi's amazing mouth. The purr of impending release built in his burning chest.

Miyagi growled around Shinobu's length at the attempted thrusts. The vibrations of his deep rumblings pushed the kitten over the edge. The big neko continued to minister to Shinobu, until the younger's cock finally stilled. He drank the kitten's seed as though it was ambrosia. Then after a few more slick strokes he slipped off Shinobu's spent member and moved back up to the kitten's covered face.

The old tom gently pulled the young hybrid's sheltering arms down to Shinobu's sides. He leaned in and kissed the kitten deeply.

Shinobu's eyes widened and his ears flipped forward as he tasted himself for the first time, mixed amongst the other flavors of Miyagi's mouth.

Miyagi looked at Shinobu. He studied the wee hybrid's face intently. After a moment he raised a questioning brow.

Shinobu blushed at the scrutiny and looked off to the side. "I need… more…" he whispered.

Without another word Miyagi picked Shinobu up and carried him into the bedroom.

* * *

><p>Once in the bedroom Miyagi dropped Shinobu onto his bed. He turned to take off his clothes. He did this unconsciously, not at all aware of the irony of this action, considering the intimacy he had just shared with his Takatsuki ward.<p>

Shinobu watched with growing anticipation as each bit of his fated lover was revealed.

He admired the broad expanse of the older neko's back, the sculpted shift of the huge hybrid's shoulders, the lean muscular length of his legs, the rounded curve of Miyagi's firm ass, revealed teasingly by each languid swish of the black cat's extraordinary tail. As the complex chemistry of his first heat coursed through his veins, Shinobu was quickly becoming aroused again.

While he didn't quite understand what he was doing, Shinobu found his body automatically pulling him into the receptive uke neko posture.

Miyagi looked down at himself, Shinobu's heat scent had made him stiff again before he'd even reached the bedroom. As he turned back around to face Shinobu, his already aching arousal received yet another powerful jolt. There was Shinobu, displaying himself in the perfect posture of submission. The kitten was on his knees on the bed, his lean torso stretched out, chest pressed low and resting on his forearms. The young neko's slim hips were raised, displaying a surprising and incredibly pleasingly rounded ass. Shinobu's caramel tail was curled perfectly over the small of his back, allowing Miyagi unobstructed entrance.

Shinobu's eyes widened when they saw, for the first time, Miyagi's magnificent member. It was just as lush as his tail and set atop a pair of beautiful balls. After recovering from the momentary shock, the kitten's lithe golden tail twitched and beckoned with a "come hither" motion.

"Just a second, Shinobu-chin," Miyagi growled. He hungrily watched the kitten's ass sway from side to side in eager anticipation.

"Miyagi," Shinobu pleaded; he was beside himself with want.

Miyagi opened the drawer to his nightstand, praying they were still in there. He breathed a sigh of relief to find that they were. It had been a while since he'd brought anyone home. (He preferred to fuck elsewhere.) The huge hybrid took out a condom and showed it to the anxious kitten.

"Here's something else you should learn, Shinobu-chin, I want you to be safe," the professorial neko admonished. He opened the small packet, placed the round disk of the condom on his tip and rolled it down over his dripping cock. Fucking a sixteen year-old kitten was bad enough but Miyagi could not bear the idea of giving the little cat something. Miyagi thought he was clean, but he hadn't been tested for anything recently and being a tom, even when he wasn't actively "catting," he still got around. Even though Miyagi didn't really like using condoms, there was no need to add "irresponsible" to "immoral" among his list of current character flaws.

By now keening heat calls were coming from the impatient Takatsuki. Miyagi knew he would probably hear from a disgruntled neighbor or two. There were already a few people in his row who were upset with his landlord already for even renting to an emancipated neko. Still, Miyagi didn't want to quiet Shinobu, to him the kitten's fevered pleading was one of the most wonderful sounds in the world.

His own deep, heat-provoked seme growl was churning again in his chest. He crawled on to the bed behind the smaller cat. He ran his big hands all the way down Shinobu's sleek frame. He loved the look of Shinobu's panting sides, the tight muscles of the young hybrid's shoulders, the glistening skin, slicked with amorous sweat. Miyagi's hands traveled all the way down Shinobu's spine to the tip of the wee kit's tail. Then he reached up again and grabbed it at the base and gave it a playful tug, pulling the other neko closer towards him.

"Enough," Shinobu growled himself now, looking back over his shoulder. "Stop messing around and just 'fix' me, Miyagi!" he angrily begged.

"Slow down, Brat," Miyagi cautioned. Despite his urge to just pounce and fuck Shinobu senseless, he was enjoying this sensuous torture. And though he was loathe to admit it, he cared that the young neko's first time was pleasurable and not too painful.

Miyagi tickled the tight ring of Shinobu's eager entrance with a thick finger until Shinobu was whimpering with frustration. Then slowly he slid his finger into the smaller male's dripping hole. Miyagi knew that all uke nekos self-lubricate during a heat cycle… so wonderfully convenient and Shinobu was gloriously slick. The huge hybrid listened to the delicious hiss from Shinobu as he felt himself entered.

Miyagi ran a large hand down the kitten's back again. "Breathe, Shinobu-chin," he soothed as he waited for the little uke cat to relax.

Shinobu arched up under the big neko's touch. "More, Miyagi," he panted.

Miyagi was surprised to feel the caramel cat adjust so quickly. He stroked the sides of Shinobu's thigh's and the curve of the kitten's ass with his free hand as his other worked his finger in and out, acclimating the young male to the feel of being filled, of having his insides stroked. His experienced digit easily found the kitten's interior bud of pleasure and rubbed over this.

"Oh, Kami," Shinobu gasped and his whole body shuddered at the power of the sensation. The kitten's tail uncurled and snaked around Miyagi's wrist, pulling his finger deeper.

"More," Shinobu whimpered.

In his pheromone heightened state, the feel of soft golden fur against his naked skin made Miyagi groan. The noir neko uncurled Shinobu's tail from his wrist, removed his finger, and positioned his latex sheathed tip at Shinobu's readied winking pucker.

"Please, Miyagi." Shinobu's tail quivered and then drifted again, this time around Miyagi hip, urging him forward.

The kitten moaned with relief as he felt the big seme cat slowly slide into him, inch by inch (and there were more than a few of these).

The old tom reveled in the virgin Takatsuki neko's salivating tight, hot, passage.

Miyagi was being so careful Shinobu could hardly bear it, he needed to be fucked so badly. Though he felt stretched beyond anything he could have imagined, finally he could not wait any longer and despite the discomfort, pushed back. He sighed with relief when he felt the nudge of the noir neko's heavy sac against his backside.

Miyagi too was pleased and impressed that his entire length was inside Shinobu. Before he started moving however, though he knew the depth of the teen kitten's need, Miyagi again allowed the younger neko to completely adjust. As he did, he could not help but lean down and place another mate-mark atop one of Shinobu's salty shoulders.

Shinobu wept both in frustration and because of the overwhelming feelings released by his neko brain as it again recognized the noir neko's mark.

Satisfied, Miyagi began to move at last behind the smaller neko, his initial strokes were short and slow. Hearing the sharp gasps of the hybrid beneath him Miyagi asked, "Does it hurt too much, Shinobu-chin?"

"Of course it hurts, you old ass… " the kitten hissed between breaths but then he quickly added, his tone plaintive, "but please, Miyagi, don't stop."

Miyagi drove himself on, listening and responding to the body of the small uke cat beneath him. Despite his seme tendencies, Miyagi was skilled in pleasing more than himself and could be a very considerate lover when he chose, and he wanted Shinobu's first time to be as pleasurable as possible.

Miyagi worked Shinobu over thoroughly. His varied thrusts, alternating speeds and added caresses and kisses had the kitten howling with ecstasy. The condom helped dull Miyagi's sensation somewhat and in this instance he was glad: it prolonged him. Miyagi held off his release as long as possible, knowing the greater his endurance, the longer Shinobu would experience relief from the agony of his heat when they were finished, before the hormonal fever returned

When he had reached the precipice and knew he could no longer resist falling over its edge, Miyagi spat into his hand and reached under the smaller cat's belly. He took up the kitten's rigid cock in his dripping palm and began to stroke Shinobu in time with his own thrusts.

Shinobu was already so close just from riding the waves of the older neko's big cock inside him, the stroking of his sensitive interior gland; it took very little "handling" before the caramel catboy let out a loud cry in combination with his orgasmic purring and came in milky jets into Miyagi's hand.

The clenching of the kitten as he shuddered in climax beneath him brought Miyagi so close to the brink, but before he peaked, the noir neko's seme instincts overcame him and in between his continued thrusts, Miyagi leaned over pinning the smaller male helplessly beneath him. He lay a vicious claim mark to the back of Shinobu's neck, breaking the skin, as he erupted inside the Takatsuki uke.

Shinobu's eyes filled with new tears and he cried out at the unexpected bite, feeling it five-fold greater in the heightened sensitivity that followed his release.

Brutal as this ending seemed, however, it was the true neko way.

After a moment of lying collapsed atop the shivering spent Shinobu, Miyagi withdrew. Then he backed up quickly off the bed, knowing that the kitten would most likely retaliate from the pain of his final marking.

He was right. Shinobu rolled over hissing at him and struck out. The nails of Shinobu's paw grazed one of Miyagi's pecs, just above the nipple leaving a few short lines that welled crimson.

Miyagi stood up and stripped the condom off his still-stiff length. He threw it into the small trashcan next to the nightstand and left the room to clean himself while Shinobu was lost in the post orgasmic rolling that receptive nekos engaged in after a heat mating.

He returned with a glass of water and retrieved Shinobu's pills from his pants' pocket. He brought these to the now quiet kitten and watched as Shinobu, pink-cheeked, accepted them gratefully. (Sex was great, but being in heat was a bitch).

Miyagi looked on as the kit-teen took his medicine. Then satisfied, he crawled back in bed alongside the now sleepy neko and began to groom Shinobu, starting with the bloody mate-mark on the back of his neck.

Shinobu's slender tail drifted tentatively over Miyagi's hip. The kitten was pleased to feel Miyagi's own heavy plume reciprocate the gesture. He took it in between his hands, as he had the night before, and pulled it up under his chin. His ears twitched and his eyes closed under the soothing motions of Miyagi's bumpy tongue.

Miyagi knew that in an hour or so, Shinobu's heat would build back up into another fever-pitch and they'd have to do this all over again, contingent on how quickly Shinobu's pills took effect. He hoped he had enough condoms to get them through the night. He licked up under the back of Shinobu's human ear. The catboy curled closer against him and sighed.

Miyagi looked down at the "post-catal" kitten and smiled, a new tenderness tempering his grin's usual mischievous bent. He draped his long arms over Shinobu, nestled his chin atop the kitten's damp head, closed his eyes, and issued a sigh of his own. He decided he'd better get a quick catnap in himself as, even with the pill now in Shinobu's system, it still promised to be a long and very active night.

What Miyagi and Shinobu didn't know and what Risako had failed to tell her father, the Dean, about the Takatsuki cat's prior mentioned mating peculiarities, was that unlike most other hybrid feline breeds, the early maturing Takatsukis imprinted exclusively with their first pairing partner.

In other words Takatsuki nekos mated for life.

This was the primary reason for the suppressing meds which were usually maintained until a Takatsuki was placed with its first owner or a breeding mate. And woe to the poor Takatsuki hybrid who was unwisely paired or whose imprinted owner tired of him and passed the neko on to another. In fact, sadly, it was often thought better to put a Takatsuki down than to try and find it a new owner/mate, as a pining Takatsuki was terribly unstable and in this state the neko never seemed to survive for long anyways.

This was why Shinobu reacted so strongly to the big tom's marking.

Miyagi, unknowingly with each claim he'd made, had essentially just sealed the small Takatsuki kitten's "fate."

* * *

><p>Nowaki returned after his shift at the hospital to his and Hiroki's apartment. He just loved being able to think of the space now as "theirs." It made it seem so much less empty.<p>

He hung up his things, slipped out of his shoes and walked into the kitchen to get a cold tea out of the refrigerator. It had been a busy night at the hospital and he wanted a few minutes to mellow before he went and retrieved Hiro-san from the closet.

On his way in Nowaki had picked up the mail from the post box downstairs. He turned on the small light over the sink and went to stand at the counter, sipping his canned tea as he sorted through it. As he was doing this he suddenly spotted a folded piece of paper on the counter.

It was a note to him from Hiro-san.

Nowaki frowned.

As much as he'd like to believe it was a love note, the cinnamon professor, unfortunately, didn't seem like the type. When he picked it up and opened it, he was surprised to see a check from First Neko National Bank with the Kamijou cat's name on it flutter down to the surface of the counter. (Hiroki had hidden some checks in his book bag when he'd first run away and Tsumori had never been interested enough in Hiroki's coursework to search its contents.)

The note said:

_Dear Nowaki,_

_Please take this money and use it to replace what you spent buying me from Tsumori. This is money I made from teaching. Akihiko never wanted it and despite everything, I never told Tsumori I had my own savings account. I'll pay back the rest as soon as I can.  
><em>

_I know that you won't want to cash this, but as I now truly belong to you, please do. If it makes it easier, perhaps you can think of it as "ours" rather than "yours" or "mine."_

_Warmest regards,_

_Kamijou Hiroki_

_P.S. Seriously, don't be a dumb-ass, just take it and cash it._

_P.S. P.S. And please don't try and talk to me about it, my pride couldn't take it._

_P.S. P.S. P.S. Sorry about the "warmest regards." Please insert "with deepest affection" there instead, but don't think I plan on making those kinds of sappy declarations a regular habit. – K.H._

Nowaki smiled hugely at all the implications of the neko's note as he read the professor's careful but adamant script over again. He took out his wallet and slipped the check into it carefully alongside Officer Sato's forgotten card. He went over to the apartment's single bookshelf and placed Hiroki's note in a small wooden box on one of the shelves where he kept his most precious papers.

After getting ready for bed, Nowaki slipped quietly into the bedroom. He'd smiled when he'd gone to retrieve his pajamas from the hook in the bathroom to see that his top was missing again. When he turned on the small bedside lamp, he was shocked to find a neko-shaped lump curled up in the middle of the futon.

Nowaki slipped in under the sheets and wrapped his arms around the cinnamon catman, snuggling against him.

"Hey," Hiroki growled, "some nekos are trying to sleep around here."

Nowaki could tell by the hybrid's voice however, that Hiro-san hadn't been asleep. He could feel the tension in Hiroki's body. He imagined that Hiro-san was waiting to see if he would mention anything about the note.

"The hospital was busy tonight," Nowaki said instead. He could feel a tiny bit of stiffness leave Hiro-san's taut frame at these words.

"Miyagi-sensei called and said I can go back to work for the rest of the week, until my meeting next Monday," Hiroki muttered.

Nowaki had left his cell phone and a number for the hospital with Hiroki that night when he'd gone to work, hoping it would make the neko feel more secure when he was alone in the apartment.

"That's great, Hiro-san!" Nowaki gave Hiroki an extra squeeze to show his happiness.

"Ribs, Nowaki!"

"Sorry, Hiro-san. I'm just so happy that things are working out for you. I'm sure Dean Takatsuki will allow you to resume your full duties."

Hiroki snuggled back into Nowaki slightly to make up for his reprimand. "I suppose that's a possibility," he muttered. But Nowaki could hear the relief in the hybrid's voice.

"Hiro-san." Nowaki felt Hiroki stiffen again.

The neko's ears twitched back towards the man behind him and his tail which had just begun relaxedly undulating beneath the sheets, stilled, waiting for what Nowaki would say next.

"I missed you tonight."

"You're so sappy, Nowaki," Hiroki mumbled, but his ears flipped back forward and his body relaxed again. His tail gave a swish of relief.

"Why weren't you in the closet tonight, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked cautiously, not wanting to make Hiroki tense again. "The apartment was okay tonight?"

Hiroki blushed at the question but his body remained relaxed. "It was fine." he grumbled. _We all have to come out of the closet sometime._

"And how is it now, Hiro-san? Still just fine?" Nowaki whispered teasingly. One large hand slid up the nightshirt that Hiroki was wearing. Warm fingers softly stroked the furry cinnamon patch on his new mate's chest.

Hiroki's tail snuck over Nowaki's hip and twitched against the bare skin of the man's low back.

"It's perfect, you goof," Hiroki reluctantly confessed. His feelings would have been evident anyway from the uncontrollable rumbling that had begun to churn deep in his chest.

"You're purrrfect," Nowaki gathered Hiroki in carefully this time and breathed deeply, as sleepy contentment washed over him.

"Don't say such embarrassing things, Dork," Hiroki grrrrred. He closed his eyes snuggling into Nowaki's warmth and was quickly overtaken by the same rolling wave of dreamy peace.

* * *

><p><strong>Old AN: Well, here is your lemon with a small side of egoist. I'm sorry I didn't get the terrorist chapter posted yesterday, (Nadiwa Yagari I guess you're going to have to wait to worship me.) but for some reason lemons take a long time to write. Lots of abrupt stops and false starts, but I hope you will feel appeased by the fact that today I posted the longest chapter to date.<strong>

**Now, I did do some research on cat mating habits… (I hope no one ever checks the search history on my laptop) so the biting, the submissive posture (called the "elevator pose," I learned), the noise, the butt wiggling, the lashing out after climax and the rolling… all feline mating behaviors. I also learned that male cats have a barbed penis (Ouch, made my butt hurt just to think of that. Nope, I just couldn't go there). Oh, and a bit more of science trivia (Midnight Reader can confirm the veracity of this) human males are the only mammal without a bone in the penis (thus the origins of the word "boner"). There's your educational tidbits for today…**

**So on to the shout outs…**

**AddictedtoCoffee – Thanks for adding me to your alerts, hope you review sometime.**

**xMoymoy- I anxiously await your terrorist savvy critique.**

**MoonlightatDusk- Hope you liked the lemon, hurry up with that new chapter. **

**Hope you also enjoyed the lemon, FreshPrinceLover, Lillemmi and Madame Masquerade 64.**

**Midoritenchi90- Thank you (and everyone else for the Puppy Nowaki thoughts)**

**Fefe77777, X ( ), Avery, Teabags, Ichigo Kousei - I am glad that my writing is effective enough to humanize the bad guys; you'll just have to wait and see what happens with Tsumori and the knackers. **

**Egoistfangirl – I will not spoil the story, but know that your beloved egoists are in relatively kind hands. Also, I'm glad you're a pervert, or you wouldn't be here in the JR "M" section reading my story. : )**

**Aquamilk- You are such a curious kitten. No need to be sorry. Nope, not too young, well, perhaps mentally maybe. Not going to say years though, I mean an author would like to maintain a bit of mystery. Glad you love the story.**

**Ichigo Kousei and Egoistfangirl- I just liked the alliteration of selflessness and six nipples, plus I thought it was funny. I.K. – genderqueer, don't really do absolutes like M/F – think of me as a neko, sort of a hybrid, thank you for telling me who you are too, by the way! : ) **

**MidnightReader- X ( ) wants to know if you throw chalk in the classroom. Yes, I do know where this story is going (loosely) but sometimes things happen or the characters or a reader review will open something up a bit or offer another direction, so I try to allow things to flow. I'm glad it's feeling flowy for you. I looked back through the fic the other day and noticed how everything gets more complex the further into the story we go. Also, I think about the story all the time: in the shower, washing dishes, at stoplights, when my best friend starts talking about shoes, you get the picture. Thank you for considering this writing an art form too! **

**X ( ) – Please share angsty ideas. Love to hear them!**

**Kirakrz- Loved your review as always. I feel so important when you quote what I've written back to me. Love it (you too, X) ! I wish you the best on your exams!**

**Avery – You now have everyone rooting for your boyfriend to take the name Hiro-san! Did you hear the collective fangirl squeal from a bunch of the readers when you said you were a boy? I did. My apologies on the assumption. The last Avery I knew was a girl. Still, no excuse and a good reminder for me not to get locked into presumptions, only right to practice what one professes( as I get a bit peevish when others make assumptions on my behalf). : )**


	48. Anniversary: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Forty-Eight: Anniversary**

* * *

><p>Hiroki opened his eyes slowly. It was Friday morning. His life had carried on for two whole days without any drama. The neko professor sighed with contentment. There had been no abuse, no knackers, no threatening students, no cat-fights with kittens, no vets, and no crazy authors. No, Hiroki had been able to simply live: to go to work, come home, and bask in the loving splendor that was Nowaki. It had been heavenly. Not that he'd ever admit that. And today was the one-week anniversary of the day that Nowaki had first brought him into his home. Again, not that he was the kind of romantic fool who would keep track of things like this.<p>

Hiroki yawned and did a big lying down stretch that carried all the way to the tip of his tail. Then he was still a moment more. In his secret heart, Hiroki was anxious for a time when his and Nowaki's anniversaries might be counted by years instead of weeks, but for now...

He rolled over and looked at the clock on Nowaki's nightstand. "Gahhhh!" He cried as he shot up in the bed.

"Nowaki! Why didn't you wake me up, you big dork?" Hiroki walked into the apartment's main room scratching his shaved ear. His fur had started growing back in already and this, on top of the stitches, itched like hell.

Nowaki was just finishing cooking their breakfast. He set the last dish on the table and beamed at Hiroki. Looking at the neko standing there in his nightshirt, Hiroki's hair standing out every which way, the first scowl of the day already adorning his face as he rubbed his stubbly ear, Nowaki was treated to his morning "fix" of conscious catman cuteness. (He'd gotten his unconscious catman cuteness fix watching Hiro-san sleeping earlier).

"I did try and wake you like sixteen times," Nowaki replied, smiling at the sleep-rumpled hybrid. "Come sit down and have breakfast, Hiro-san," Nowaki added cheerfully, pulling out a chair at the lavishly spread kitchen table.

At the smell of all the wonderful food, Hiroki's stomach began to growl. "I don't think I can, if I'm going to make it school," he growled himself rather ruefully. His ears flattened in disappointment looking at all the things Nowaki had laid out.

"You have time, Hiro-san. I set the clock in our room ahead an hour." Nowaki put special emphasis on the word _our_. "I thought that might help you get up earlier." It had not taken Nowaki long to realize his professorial hybrid had more than a little difficulty getting up on time. He'd noticed Hiroki had the habit of looking at the clock, mumbling "five more minutes," and then falling back asleep for another thirty.

Nowaki's quick accommodation to his quirks disconcerted Hiroki, but he decided to set this aside at the moment, as the breakfast looked so good. He did, however, make a point of avoiding the chair Nowaki was holding out for him and going around to sit at the other end of the table. "I'm not a female, you know," he grumbled as he sat down. His tail switched peevishly.

"Of course I know that, Hiro-san." Nowaki stepped over and quickly kissed the catman's furrowed forehead before Hiroki could protest. Then he moved back and sat down in the chair he'd pulled out himself. "I know it quite well in fact," Nowaki gave Hiroki a suggestive smile.

Hiroki felt like he was blushing to the tips of his ears. He looked down at his place setting as if it was suddenly the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. While they hadn't gone "all the way" yet, as he was healing, he and Nowaki had been doing a significant amount of stroking and sucking.

"Just say the blessing, Nowaki," Hiroki huffed.

As they were eating, every time Hiroki looked up from his bowl, Nowaki was googling at him with a sappy look on his handsome face. Not that this was abnormal, Nowaki looked at him like this a lot. It just seemed this morning that there was some extra sappiness in the young medical student's expression. It made Hiroki uneasy.

"What?" Hiroki finally snapped.

In his nervousness he unconsciously went into cat mode. He licked the back of his hand and then rubbed the hand over his face, thinking perhaps he had something on it. He'd had just that kind of embarrassing thing happen the previous day with a piece of rice and had been mortified when Nowaki plucked off the lone grain sticking to his chin.

Nowaki thought the grooming gesture was just too cute. "Well, Hiro-san, you know today is a very special day." His sparkling blue eyes looked like sunlight on waves.

Hiroki had to pull his gaze away before he got swept into their depths. "Oh, really?" he said studying his chopsticks. "What's so special about it?" he mumbled feigning ignorance. Hiroki felt a slight pang in his heart when he saw the look of disappointment flash just ever so briefly in the tall man's eyes.

"Today is our one week anniversary, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, determined to sound happy.

"It is, huh?" Hiroki said, determined to sound unimpressed.

Nowaki's face fell and he looked down into his rice bowl.

When Hiroki saw how truly crestfallen Nowaki was, he knew then he could not maintain his facade of indifference. He balled up his napkin and threw it at Nowaki, hitting the man square in the middle of his shaggy forehead. "Hey!" he yelled.

Nowaki looked up, sadly curious.

"I know that, you big goof, I was only kidding!" Hiroki growled. He looked down blushing and nervously scratched his ever-itching shaved ear. "Happy anniversary, Nowaki," he said much more softly, sounding despite his best intentions, a bit shy.

It was worth this small blow to his pride, however, to see how happy this made the giant goof sitting across from him.

"Thank you, Hiro-san, and happy anniversary to you!" Nowaki was practically glowing. "You know I don't have work tonight..." Now it was Nowaki's turn to sound hesitant. " I wondered if maybe I could meet you after work, like I have been, and we could do something special? I know a good family restaurant we could go to called _Panda-san_."

It had been ages since Hiroki had been out for a meal. Though Nowaki's suggestion should have been a simple thing, after all that had happened to him, the neko felt nervous. And, even though he was living with Nowaki now and they had done lots of "things" with each other, it wasn't like they'd ever had a real, proper outing.

Hiroki looked worriedly at Nowaki, "_Panda-san_ is neko friendly, right?"

Many stores and restaurants refused to serve nekos.

"Yes, Hiro-san, I checked," Nowaki said kindly.

Hiroki looked away feeling embarrassed again; Nowaki was always so considerate. "Okay then."

"Good." Nowaki was delighted. Then he added, "I have something I want to give you tonight too, Hiro-san, and that will be the perfect place."

Hiroki was suddenly panicked. It seemed as though the big romantic had gotten him something for their anniversary. Hiroki didn't have anything at all for Nowaki. Today, Nowaki planned to see him to school and then pick him up afterwards, like he had the last few days (though Hiroki had told him multiple times he could manage himself just fine), and his teaching schedule was full. Hiroki was chagrined that there wasn't going to be any time for him to go buy something.

"Nowaki, you didn't need to get anything for me," he said uncomfortably, "You've already given me too much as it is."

"I could never give you too much, Hiro-san," Nowaki cheerfully disagreed. "Besides I think you'll really like it."

"Couldn't you give it to me now then?" Hiroki had an inkling of something he could give to Nowaki, but it would be helpful if he had a gauge to measure his possible "gift" by. He didn't want to embarrass himself by reciprocating with too much or too little.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Hiro-san, I can't. I don't have it yet. I'm going to pick it up when I get off work at the flower shop, before I come pick you up this afternoon." Nowaki apologetically explained.

Hiroki felt he had to do something to show his appreciation for all that the man had done for him. "Nowaki," he said quietly, blushing again.

"Yes, Hiro-san?"

"I have something for you too. It's not much, but I hope that you'll like it... I will tell you what it is and you can decide if you want it or not… Don't feel like you have to accept it though…" Hiroki's coloring was getting darker by the minute.

"Hiro-san, I will love anything thing that you give me." Nowaki said earnestly. "Just being with you... Well, your presence is a present."

"Gahhh!" Hiroki exclaimed. "Why must you say such embarrassing things, you too-tall sapling?"

"Because they're true," Nowaki's replied simply. "So, Hiro-san, what is it?"

Hiroki was so nervous about what he was going to say he thought he might quite possibly die.

_There goes one of my four and a half lives, _he thought. (Since nekos were really only half cat).

"Ummm, Nowaki, though I know I still have some bruises... I think I am in many ways... quite well now." Hiroki's ears flickered and he blushed so hard, even his bald ear turned crimson.

"What?"

"Well, what I mean to say is… I am feeling quite fit," Hiroki stammered.

"What do you mean, Hiro-san?" Nowaki looked confused.

Hiroki was growing frustrated by the man's obtuseness. "I mean we can fuck tonight, you dork!" After he blurted this out Hiroki dropped his head, his ears turned back, his tail tapped nervously. "If you want to, that is…" he said softly.

"Are you sure, Hiro-san?" Nowaki was overwhelmed by Hiroki's offer. Because while he had been very happy with all the things the pair had been doing, he had been fighting against his seme urges all week to completely possess the slender neko and he hadn't been sure how much longer he was going to be able to hold out.

"Yes…I mean you're practically a doctor now, Nowaki… If you're worried, you can give me a personal examination yourself. But I feel sure that I'll be fine." Despite how humiliating this was, Hiroki was quite anxious to fully mate. PHS or not, he had been experiencing more than a little frustration himself.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki said, looking at the neko slyly. "Would you like to take a shower with me this morning? I could examine you now while we're in there."

Hiroki looked into the eager eyes regarding him lustfully from across the table. He was tempted to call Nowaki a big pervert and tell him to go take a cold shower by himself. Then Hiroki realized, it was their one week anniversary after all.

The cinnamon neko shrugged, "Okay, Nowaki." He got up from the table. "But no fucking until tonight, I don't want to be late for work."

As Hiroki moved into the bathroom, Nowaki was hot on his tail.

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><p><strong>New AN: <strong>

**Okay my dear readers, we're now more than halfway through this neko tale. I just gave you a big Terrorist Lemon and there's some Egoist action upcoming.**

**I started re-posting this story because I was getting so many requests from people who loved it and wanted to re-read it or had heard about it and wanted to read it for the first time. **

**Even though it is a re-post I have been doing a significant amount of editing which takes not an insignificant amount of time. Given these things, I am a bit disappointed that more of you are not chiming in. **

**I had my lovely regular Ashley Tangerine and the ever faithful X posting their luscious reviews recently, which I am filled with gratitude for and the sweet Illemmi. Thanks also to MoonlightatDusk for letting me know you're reading (you lemon hound, you). And I am delighted with everyone else who has dropped in over the course of this process.  
><strong>

**But out of over 1000 views just for Friday alone, to hear from so few?**

**I am truly delighted to see such high traffic in the stats and see that people are (re)reading and apparently enjoying the piece, but I would really like to have this story hit at least 1600 reviews before I finish re-uploading it. **

**Call me greedy, but even a line to let me know you're out there is appreciated and seems a small price for free stories, especially one you asked to have returned to you.  
><strong>

**Thanks for reading**

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><p><strong>Old AN: <strong>

**I am glad that so many of you enjoyed the Terrorist lemon. Just so you know, I apologize for the confusion yesterday about the MPREG. **

**I had been looking at some other neko fan fics that had nekos (Naruto mostly. I call it research *cough*) and there were all these MPREG neko stories. So somehow that slipped into my nekosphere (Some of which I have kind of made up myself). **

**So, first I thought uke neko cats could get pregnant (since I'd just read that) and that was on my mind when I wrote the lemon. Then, since I had left that bit out about uke cats being able to get pregnant, I went back to the chap and added that bit (So you didn't miss it the first time Midnight Reader). **

**Then the more I thought about it, I decided I really was uncomfortable with the male nekos getting pregnant (to be honest, the first neko MPREG I read kind of freaked me out a bit, but I've acclimated now), and Shinobu is just a 16 year old anyway, way too young for kittens (Sorry, Ichigo Kousei and Egoistfangirl) and this is my neko world after all, not some else's so I can fashion it as I please. **

**So then I went back and just made Miyagi kind of a slut (Well, he is a seme tom cat after all) because I did want to leave in the part about the condom. Yes, I know it's fiction/fantasy but a push for safe sex, even in cartoons is not a bad thing on occasion, I think.**

**I am curious as to what you all might think about my decision. Maybe I will do a neko MPREG later for the fangirls? **

**Anyway, hope today's chapter met your egoist needs. We are building to drama once more…**

**Please holler at me… you know I love to hear from you. If you're reading this and you haven't reviewed… drop me a line. It need only be one…though I love, love, love all the long reviews I have been getting. You people rock!**

**Randomteenager52 and Sara1324, thank you for adding this story to your alert/favorites. Shout at me sometime, okay? And Yaoilover796 thanks for joining the party, so glad you enjoyed that chapter and hope to hear from you again soon.**

**Liz, Madame Masquerade 64, Kirakrz, Midoritenchi90, LaPetiteTomate- where are you? **

**Kiyo12- glad you're back and hope you heal quickly.**

**Fefe77777, Nadiwa Yagari, NocturnalOtaku, Lillemmi, Lastbloom, Yaoifangirl4ever- always look forward to hearing from you! You are all my sunshine… without you I would shrivel.**

**Teabags- Well, you know already. No need to say more.**

**Midnight Reader, Thank you for confirming my research. Teaching who and what you do, tigers must have been a breeze in comparison. So nice your comments on reading my story and liking it as much as the real books you've been consuming.**

**ASTROZOMBIE8- glad you like the terrorist lemon. Thank you for the feedback, It really helped me with my choice (you too, Avery). **

**xMoymoy- Loved your long review and for some reason, you sound/remind an awful lot like/of Shinobu (in a good way) when I read your writing. No wonder you love terrorist. They will be popping up again so please keep skimming.**

**X ( )- glad you like the notes as well. It makes me smile. I loved your notes as always. Why don't you get an account so I can PM you about your idea. I think there's AU possibility there.**

**Egoistfangirl- thank you for checking out my drawings, I do hope to add more. Loved your review and as long as you continue to feed me these giant review cookies, I will continue to write and write egoist. But more than one story at a time, about that … tricky… Say, why don't you have an account, Fangirl? **

**Avery – loved your review as always. Hey when your BF gets to this part, will he be embarrassed to find out we've been talking about him for the last several chapters? Maybe he'll be bold and let us know when he's caught up? It would be great to hear from him on the review board. Glad you liked the egoist side. **

**Ichigo Kousei- Sorry to disappoint you about the Shinobu/Miyagi kittens. I hope that it will not cause you to revoke your genderless crush. I would be so sad if it did. Glad the lemon met with your approval. Now I have to prepare for the egoists...**


	49. Love: Egoist

**Neko- Hiro**

**Chapter Forty-Nine: Love**

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><p>Nowaki followed Hiroki into the bathroom, closed the door, and turned on the shower.<p>

Hiroki faced Nowaki. Nowaki had already turned him on sometime ago, though the neko would never admit it. Seeing the desire in the dark eyes across from him at the breakfast table had done it. Well, if Hiroki was perfectly honest, just seeing Nowaki _period_ was actually more than enough.

Nowaki was wearing a tight white t-shirt and his pajama pants. He'd put the t-shirt on before he started breakfast, as bare skin and hot oil don't really go well together (at least over a kitchen stove). Nowaki grabbed his shirt at the bottom and slowly stripped it off over his head.

Hiroki watched as inch by inch Nowaki's amazing body was revealed. It was so fine… every time the neko saw it he was filled with appreciative awe. Nowaki had told him yesterday that up until just recently, he'd had another job outside of his internship and his other employment doing construction work. The result of this manual labor showed in the tight rippled abdomen of the tall man's lean torso and the hard swell of the practiced pectorals filling Nowaki's broad chest.

Hiroki's eyes traced down Nowaki's flat stomach to the delicious wispy line of fine dark hair, the path that led from Nowaki's low belly down to his quickening member. The thin cotton fabric of the man's pants was rapidly tenting out in the front.

While Hiroki had always been an athletic hybrid, in addition to a scholar, he was keenly aware of what his time with Tsumori had done to his body. Right now, next to the shining specimen of Nowaki's physique, the hybrid felt completely inadequate.

Though his new mate…erm…owner had seen him bare several times now, on each occasion the proud hybrid had been loath to display his present deficiencies. Even now, with his cheeks burning, the neko very self-consciously started to pull off the nightshirt that he was wearing.

"No, Hiro-san." Nowaki interrupted; his voice was surprisingly tentative, "please, unbutton it slowly for me instead." The burning plea in his eyes underscored his request.

Hiroki's blush deepened. He bit back the urge to say something snappy to hide his embarrassment, and instead, as it was their anniversary, started to fumble with the buttons on the shirt. It was all he could do to keep his slender fingers from shaking.

Nowaki undid the drawstring on his pajama bottoms and slipped carefully out of them, his intense dark eyes never leaving Hiroki.

Hiroki determinedly kept his eyes on the buttons of Nowaki's nightshirt, though it was very hard to maintain. His gaze was continually, almost magnetically, pulled to Nowaki's long, thick, and now fully erect cock.

When the last button was undone, Nowaki stepped up to the nervous neko and cupped the catman's fine jaw in between both of his hands. Hiroki's large eyes looked up at him, filled with anxious anticipation. Nowaki was deeply moved as his own blue-black eyes searched Hiroki's, seeing in their dark depths, as always, both the neko's tremendous fragility and his strength.

He bent down and whispered into Hiroki's shaved ear.

"I love you, Hiro-san."

His mouth slowly drifted lower down to meet Hiroki's. Nowaki gently caught the neko's bottom lip between his own. Then his lips moved up, capturing Hiroki's upper lip as well. He teased the underside of it ever so gently with his tongue.

Hiroki's hands moved on their own accord, clasping Nowaki's face between them likewise and pulling the man into him as he opened himself up to the kiss. Their oral embrace quickened and deepened as their tongues explored the increasingly familiar territory of each others' mouth.

Nowaki's large warm hands released Hiroki's chin while the pair maintained their kiss. Hiroki continued to hold Nowaki's chin in the nest of his slightly smaller hands.

The young intern traced the tips of his fingers down both sides of Hiroki's neck. They moved out as they followed the slope of the hybrid's shoulders: also slightly smaller than his, but fittingly broad on the catman's slender frame.

Nowaki's hands slid under the cloth of the open nightshirt, pushing it off Hiroki's shoulders as he gently clasped their curved edge. He marveled at the beauty of these, despite the lingering bruises: shoulders that had carried so many unseen heavy burdens for so long. He wished more than anything that by his caress he could lift them.

Languidly Nowaki then slid his hands down, each of his large palms following the contours of one lithe limb, pulling Hiroki's hands gently from his face and down to the hybrid's sides. The shirt followed with them, so that by the time Nowaki's hands encircled the neko's strong but thin wrists, it had slipped silently and completely off, forgotten the moment it hit the floor and Hiroki was standing naked in front of him.

Nowaki broke their kiss and pulled gently back.

"I love you, Hiro-san," he mumbled into Hiroki's neck as he moved downward, kissing the mate-mark he'd made there.

"I love you, Hiro-san," he breathed again. His exhalations hot against Hiroki's bare flesh as his lips traveled onward, kissing each fading abrasion that remained on the catman's throat, caused by the cruel collar the neko had been forced to wear.

"I love you, Hiro-san."

This was how Nowaki conducted the first part of Hiroki's personal examination.

He worked his way all the way around his beloved Hiro-san: neck, chest, shoulders, back, low back, ass, ribcage, belly, thighs… His warm lips found every lingering trace left behind by Tsumori's torture. He kissed every bite, every bruise and bandaged each with a declaration of love.

Though as a child, he'd never had a mother to instruct him in this particular medicine of affection for skinned-knees or pinched fingers, Nowaki truly believed there were healing properties in the gentle brush of a kiss and he was determined to love Hiro-san into wholeness, no matter how long it took.

Nowaki knelt before Hiroki now, a large hand on either side of the neko's narrow hips, kissing a mark in one of their hollows. He could feel Hiroki's labored breathing, the rapid rise and fall of his Hiro-san's belly, the heat generated by the straining length of the hybrid's own now-erect cock.

Then he felt strong fine-boned fingers twine through his thick hair. One of Hiroki's hands moved down and gently caressed Nowaki's cheek. He looked up to see his Hiro-san staring down at him silently, eyes glistening and filled with wonder. The neko professor was biting his bottom lip. He released it just long enough to utter the name:

"Nowaki…"

The way that Hiroki said it conveyed a million different meanings but each of them was laden with love.

The neko gently took Nowaki's hands from his hips, pulled the tall man up and led him into the steaming shower.

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><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**Okay, so I realized after reading the feedback that I didn't make myself as clear as I thought. There will be NO MPREG this fiction. Not saying I won't try it in another piece sometime.**

**I also reaffirmed my occupation as a horrible tease, as I had really planned to go into a Misaki/Akihiko chapter today and leave the shower scene to your imaginations. But the voices of the Egoists prevailed last night (Thank Egoistfangirl) and you all fed me so many good review cookies… I have decided to take up an egoist lemon and give you the shower scene.**

**Like all my lemons, once it starts, it gets a bit out of hand so, what you have here is the first part of the shower scene. I have another 1000+ words written so far in the actual shower, and I am nowhere near finished. **

**I wanted to give you something for today however, so here is part I. **

**All my shout outs will be done after part II… but you know I love you, all right? **

**I mean, would I be subjecting myself to another excruciating lemon so soon otherwise? Honestly, hardly any recovery time, people. And I had to put the "L" word in this chap… Several times… so hard on my Hirokian psyche.**

**Okay, enough rambling... You read and review and I will get on with finishing your Egoist lemon. : )**


	50. Examination: Egoist

**Warning: This Chapter Egoist Citrus**

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><p><strong>Neko-Hiro<strong>

**Chapter Fifty: Examination**

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><p>Once in the shower, Hiroki offered to wash Nowaki, but Nowaki simply shook his shaggy head and smiled. "Uh-uh, Hiro-san, I'm not finished with your examination yet." Then he turned Hiroki around so the neko's back was to him and lathered his hands with soap.<p>

Nowaki started with Hiroki's hybrid ears, being very careful of the stitched one, and stroked them with his lathered hands. "Your ears seem okay, Hiro-san," he said playfully, amused by how they twitched under his light touches.

Then strong fingers slipped down and began more firmly massaging the back of Hiroki's head, sifting through his wet, cinnamon-brown locks.

Hiroki couldn't help himself, he groaned with pleasure, as somehow, Nowaki's external ministrations to his troubled head began to soothe all the internal knots in his brain.

Gradually Nowaki's hands moved lower, wrapping around Hiroki's human ears and rubbing right at the point where the catman's jawbone connected to his skull. The pressure of Nowaki's skilled fingers here was amazing. Hiroki dropped his head and immediately began to purr.

"No, you seem fine here too, Hiro-san, if a bit tense. You shouldn't clench your teeth so much." Nowaki advised, though his voice was still light.

Too soon for Hiroki, Nowaki's hands moved again.

One hand slid down, kneading the back of the hybrid's tight neck, the other hand slipped around palming the neko's chest. This motion pulled Hiroki closer to Nowaki. The hybrid could feel Nowaki's stiff dick brushing against him.

As much as he wanted it, in so many ways, given his past experiences he unwittingly flinched, suddenly apprehensive, even though he knew rationally that Nowaki would never hurt him.

Thankfully, the young intern didn't seem to notice. Nowaki was too busy, teasing; his sudsy hand swirled the soaked cinnamon patch of fur in the center of the Kamijou cat's chest, slid across the hybrid's hard pecs, circled and very lightly pinched Hiroki's slippery nipples.

Hiroki gasped at the sensations. His drenched tail drifted around one of Nowaki's lean legs.

Nowaki could feel the encircling length of Hiroki's tail around his calf tighten and relax in time with the waves of pleasure washing over his mate.

Nowaki leaned his dark head forward over Hiroki's shoulder. "You are healing well here too, Hiro-san, no sign of infection." He whispered in to Hiroki's human ear, "soon you won't even be able to tell at all you were ever pierced."

Nowaki pulled back slightly, nuzzling his neko's dripping nape as the hand that had been there slipped down between the hybrid's shoulders. The hand at Hiroki's front collapsed so that only one finger was extended. It spun tiny circles at the tip of one of the catman's alert nipples, barely brushing it.

"Nowaki…" Hiroki exhaled the name with a pleasured breath. His earlier fear had dissipated and he was deeply regretting having told Nowaki there would be no fucking this morning.

"So impatient, Hiro-san," Nowaki humorously chided.

"You certainly wouldn't want your personal physician to rush his examination, now would you?"

The palm resting between Hiroki's shoulders applied a light pressure and the neko felt himself gently pushed forward. Hiroki extended his arms and braced himself, slightly bent, against the shower wall.

Nowaki's huge hands slid in tandem from their respective locations. Nowaki removed them reluctantly as Hiroki shifted his position, but used the opportunity to soap up again.

Hiroki was shocked at how crazed he felt. The sudden absence of Nowaki's touch was excruciating.

When Nowaki's hands returned, each rested high on one of Hiroki's lean sides. They followed the contours of the catman's body, drifting down at a deliberately slow pace, moving back slightly to linger over the neko's pert ass when they got there. He rubbed the base of Hiroki's tail sensuously and watched in eroticized awe as it loosed from around his leg and reflexively curled upward.

Then Nowaki rubbed all the way to the bottom of the hybrid's taut thighs, from there they meandered back up to Hiroki's waist.

"Hmmmm," Nowaki murmured as he pressed his lips to a spot between Hiroki's shoulder blades.

Despite the rumble of his uncontrollable purring, Hiroki was pierced by the humming vibration of Nowaki's utterance and could feel it gently tremor his heart.

Nowaki turned his head to the side and rested his cheek against Hiroki's shoulder. "I think you still may be too thin though, Hiro-san. I'm going to have to feed you more."

"Nowaki…" Hiroki growled the name this time. His snarl was short-lived, however, as one of Nowaki's sud-slick hands slipped around and cupped his blood- heavy balls, giving them a playful but tender squeeze.

"This part of you seems perfectly plump, however, Hiro-san."

"Unnnhhh, Nowaki…" Hiroki moaned as the hand moved again, gathering up the length of his erect cock.

"And this part of you just seems perfect, Hiro-san."

Hiroki didn't even have to turn his head. He could hear the smile in Nowaki's voice. His tail uncurled and swished over, wrapping itself around the man's wrist as the young intern gave Hiroki's dick an approving stroke.

Hiroki drew a deep breath, already he was at the point of no return. It didn't seem right to him that he could be brought so close to the edge of ecstasy with his cock having hardly been touched. But few of his previous partners had given much consideration to foreplay and none ever so lovingly.

The neko felt Nowaki gently nudge his legs, encouraging him to spread them wider apart. Hiroki complied and was rewarded when Nowaki's cock-free hand brushed a slippery finger against the sensitive skin of his taint, rubbing him there.

"Is this okay, Hiro-san?"

The note of caution in Nowaki's voice made Hiroki tremble as did this exterior massage of his prostate. He nodded.

Nowaki's tender touch swept this spot again and traveled up just bit a higher to graze Hiroki's entrance. The man's finger gently circled his pet's pucker, feeling it quiver, then lightly pressed against it. "And this is okay, Hiro-san?"

Without turning around to look at Nowaki, Hiroki silently nodded again.

"You tell me if you want me to stop, Hiro-san."

Hiroki wanted to yell at Nowaki at this point for being so goddamn considerate but he couldn't say a word out of fear that his voice would break and the man would stop all together. So instead he nodded a third time.

Nowaki wanted so much to have his cock inside Hiroki, but his mate had said not until that night and with what Hiro-san had been through, Nowaki felt it was very important to respect the hybrid in this regard.

"No fucking till tonight, Hiro-san, just as you said, because once I start I don't think I'll be able to stop. So right now this is just for you." Nowaki's voice was husky with restrained desire.

In Hiroki's whole life, no one had ever been so tender with him.

Hidden by the steam and the streaming water, Hiroki was at last able to allow the tears that he had been fighting to overwhelm his eyes. Until Nowaki, no one had ever truly cared for him, and the sense of this man's deep, heavy love weighted him with a joy that was almost unbearable.

Hiroki was embarrassed to admit most of his sex life had been quick random fucks, especially when he was younger. Hiroki had known he was gay since he was a kitten and once he'd become "active," half the time he was lucky if he even got a first name from the other male, be he human or neko.

Even when he had ridden Akihiko's cock, it had been about trying to please his owner in the hopes it might garner him love. Akihiko, on the other hand, had not been concerned about his pet's pleasure at all. As soon as he'd come, the author had slipped out from under Hiroki and walked away, before his seed had even cooled.

With Tsumori and the men he'd given Hiroki to, the hybrid was nothing more than a two-holed receptacle, meant to be fucked and then discarded.

That Nowaki was concerned about him, was attending to him so kindly, overwhelmed Hiroki. He was glad his back was to the man, as he was crying freely now. Hiroki despaired of the emptiness of his previous life and wept in fear of what might happen if he allowed himself to get used to this new one, being so wonderfully filled (in all ways) with Nowaki.

His tears were soon stilled though, as Nowaki's finger pressed forward and made its first gentle exploration into him. Hiroki was still tender, though not as much as he feared he might be, given all that had happened to him.

Because uke neko heat-pairings could be at times very violent and involve multiple partners over a compressed period of time, modern generations of uke hybrids had been genetically modified to have thicker anal tissue, as well as rapid healing and regeneration in this particular area of their anatomy.

From how his neko's tail tightened around his wrist, and the clench of the hybrid's passage around his finger, Nowaki could tell that Hiroki was still a bit sore. He didn't say anything though, he just watched as the tightly muscled shoulders before him tensed and then relaxed. After a few moments he could feel Hiroki become more easy around his finger as well. He pushed further in, amazed by the heat of the neko's insides. He pulled back a bit searching for the chestnut-sized bump of Hiroki's prostate.

While he had read about it in his medical texts, Hiro-san had demonstrated to him the power of this point last night. Nowaki had never had such an incredible orgasm and he was eager to reciprocate, knowing now that being inside Hiroki was not going to hurt him too much.

His digit found that magic spot and began to massage around it lightly. He listened to Hiroki's breathing as it labored and became breathy. Once he could feel the muscles surrounding the gland relax, the tip of his finger began to rub in a circular motion over its surface.

Nowaki listened to Hiroki's increasingly pleasured moans. He felt the hybrid heaving beneath him.

Hiroki, in an act of boldness, removed a hand from against the wall of the shower and brought it down to the one of Nowaki's that was still encircling his cock. His tail, still wrapped around the man's wrist, urged as well.

"Please, Nowaki," Hiroki panted.

The combined tones of desire and desperation in Hiroki's plea thrilled Nowaki. His slick hand began to stroke the length of the hybrid in addition to his internal motions. Nowaki could hear the purr increasing in magnitude within Hiroki's lovely chest. Within only a few moments after taking this rhythm up, Hiroki came, a heat-howl disrupting his purr. His jumping dick spurted and his ejaculate joined the water flowing down the drain.

Nowaki slid out of Hiroki and released his cock as the neko's knees buckled from the strength of his orgasm.

Nowaki bent down to help the breathless catman now crouching on the floor of the shower, but Hiroki batted his hands away.

"That was really good, Nowaki," Hiroki gasped, still trying to regain his breath, though he wouldn't look at the younger male yet, embarrassed that he'd come so quickly.

"You have your own personal physician, Hiro-san. I have my own personal professor." Nowaki teased. He added seriously, "you are a really good teacher, Hiro-san."

_The benefits of all my experience,_ Hiroki thought ruefully.

Nowaki reached his hands down again. Hiroki looked up over his shoulder at his owner now. He turned and clasped Nowaki's wrists, but instead of letting himself be pulled up he resisted.

"Come down here with me, Nowaki," Hiroki growled.

"But you should probably get out and get ready for work, Hiro-san. You don't want to be late."

"And what do you intend to do about that?" From below him, Hiroki looked up at Nowaki and cocked an eyebrow at the tall man's enduring erection.

"Oh, I can take care of myself, Hiro-san. I have years of experience doing that after all."

Hiroki looked at Nowaki with an expression that existed somewhere between amused and disgusted. "Stop being so fucking nice. I said get down here, dumb-ass!" he ordered.

Nowaki leaned against the shower wall behind him, folded his long legs, and sank to the floor alongside Hiroki.

"Honestly, Nowaki, what kind of partner would I be to go and leave you in a state like this?" Hiroki huffed. He didn't mean to, but he reached up and tenderly brushed Nowaki's shaggy shower-soaked bangs out of his eyes.

"Really, Hiro-san, I don't mind… Wait… Did you say partner, Hiro-san?" Nowaki's newly revealed blue eyes grew wide.

Despite his steam-red skin, Hiroki suddenly grew darker, "I… I meant 'pet,' of course, Nowaki," Hiroki stammered, realizing the significance of what he'd inadvertently said.

"But, Hiro-san, I don't think of you as…. Ahhh…" Nowaki's thought was suddenly lost to him when Hiroki rapidly bent down between his folded legs and licked up his thick shaft.

"Hiro-san?" Such sensation was still so new to Nowaki it overwhelmed him. He knew he had been about to say something really important, but he couldn't for the life of him remember what it was.

Hiroki's mouth reached the base of Nowaki's dick and was now licking up across the tall man's tight belly, lightly nipping along the tiny creases at the fold of Nowaki's waist. The neko's gentle nibbles pinched just slightly and every time the catman's teeth grazed his flesh, the sensation shot all the way down to the tip of Nowaki's long cock.

One of Hiroki's hands reached up and the hybrid drug his short nails, trailing them ever so softly, down Nowaki's sculpted chest as his mouth moved back to minister to Nowaki's dick.

The feel of this filled Nowaki's belly with a liquid heat.

This time Hiroki started at the base of Nowaki's cock. Warm soft lips brushed against Nowaki's aroused sac. Hiroki then curled his tongue around the underside of Nowaki's shaft and licked towards its tip. He paid special attention to the sensitive spot underneath, just at the edge of its head.

Hiroki's tongue was not as sandpapery as a pure cat's but it wasn't smooth either. Nowaki still wasn't quite used to how amazing the surface of this slick-ridged muscle felt. But more than that, however, seeing Hiroki on his knees before him, the neko's lean back stretched out, his sodden but twitching tail curled over itself, the slightly elevated curve of Hiroki's ass as he bent down, the hybrid's sweet mouth slipping over the head of his aching cock, this image was beyond beautiful.

Hiroki's nubbed tongue teased the tender weeping tip of Nowaki delighting in Nowaki's unique salty taste. He tentatively tickled the slit, still learning the man's likes and dislikes in such attendance, having learned the hard way that for some this was uncomfortable.

However, Nowaki found the attention exquisite. His finely chiseled chest was rising and falling rapidly, his excited breaths caught in his throat and then escaped in soft moans.

Unlike the Miyagis, the Kamijous did have a gag reflex, and Nowaki was very long, so Hiroki used his hand to encircle what his mouth could not take in. Lips curled around his teeth and tongue cradling the underside of Nowaki's rigid length the neko worked his mouth and his hand in coordinated strokes.

"Hiro-san, wait!" Nowaki gasped.

Hiroki stopped. Large russet eyes looked up at Nowaki, concerned. "Mmmph... What?" he mumbled, around Nowaki's thick member. Hiroki was struck with the terrible thought that he might be doing something wrong.

Looking down at Hiro-san, even like this, Nowaki thought the cinnamon neko looked just too adorable.

"How are you, Hiro-san?"

Hiroki looked at the young intern like he was crazy. He disengaged from Nowaki and sat up on his knees. "What in the hell kind of question is that? Especially at a time like this, Nowaki?" The Hiroki blushed and looked down, wiping his saliva-slick chin with the back of his hand. "I mean everything was going okay, right?"

Nowaki looked at the neko and realized that his action had threatened his Kamijou cat's frail pride.

"Oh, no, Hiro-san," Nowaki breathed. "Everything's perfect! It's just that I thought you might be…" Nowaki motioned to Hiroki's groin, the neko was hard again. (Whereas Nowaki's seme energy gave the man tremendous endurance, Hiroki's uke energy gave the neko tremendous resilience.)

Nowaki scooted forward. "I want us to come together, Hiro-san," he whispered, his words all but drown out by the sound of the shower's cascading flow.

Hiroki regarded Nowaki a moment. Simultaneous orgasm was nothing he'd ever experienced and as far as he knew was merely a pornographic convention. What was he going to do with this naïve idiot?

Other than try and please him.

Hiroki shook his head, but even so slid in between Nowaki's thighs. His own legs bent, one on each side of the younger man's hips. He moved up until both their dicks were brushing the other's. Skin against skin, the sensation of their shafts touching was electric.

Nowaki reached up a long arm and grabbed the soap off of the inset shelf of the shower and lathered up his hand once again.

Hiroki looked down as Nowaki's huge soapy palm encircled both their cocks. When he glanced back up, Nowaki surprised him by leaning in and capturing his mouth with a tender kiss. Hiroki would have tried to pull back, but considering where Nowaki currently had a hold of him, he though the better of it and instead wrapped his arms around the man's neck.

When Nowaki released Hiroki's mouth, the hybrid bowed his head and rested it against Nowaki's broad chest. Hiroki kept his arms loosely encircling Nowaki's neck as the man started their Princeton rub.

Nowaki's years of solo practice had certainly given him a fine skill set in the stroking department and before long he had Hiroki back on the brink.

"Nowaki…," Hiroki said, not looking up. His cheeks filled with color. "I'm close."

"Not yet, Hiro-san." Nowaki was panting himself.

"Please, Nowaki…" Hiroki repeated. He was embarrassed to hear what sounded like a hint of a whimper in his voice.

Nowaki's free hand took a tight hold at the base of Hiroki's eager member preventing the cinnamon cat from coming. "Not yet, Hiro-san." It excited Nowaki to hear the plaintive need in Hiroki's voice.

Hiroki was still resting his forehead against Nowak. Nowaki knew that he would most likely remain that way until after his release. He wished Hiro-san would let him see his face. He wanted very much to watch the hybrid come. But so far, Hiroki had made it clear that he was uncomfortable with this.

Hiroki could tell by the sound of Nowaki's breathing that the younger male was finally getting close too. He slid his hands down from around Nowaki's neck.

Nowaki released the two of them and let Hiroki take him in hand. Nowaki began to use the hand that had been gripping the base of Hiroki's cock to stroke the neko. All that could be heard now was the sound of the falling water, and beneath that the pair's heavy panting.

They came within moments of each other, both issuing rough exclamations at their climax, their fluids coating each other's hands and cocks, only to be quickly washed away.

Man and neko wrapped their arms around each other and sat there, recovering in silence, allowing the water to rain over them.

"Nowaki," Hiroki said, still not looking up.

"Hmmmmmm, yes, Hiro-san?"

Nowaki watched Hiroki's head drop just a bit lower and his water-dark ears flicker undecidedly. Then the hybrid's ears stilled and his lean tail drifted around and gently brushed the outside of one of Nowaki's thighs.

"I love you," Hiroki said softly.

Nowaki felt Hiroki blush against his chest as he said this. Nowaki's heart was suddenly so full it was bursting.

Here was the most complicated of simple declarations. Not accidentally said, or followed immediately by something dismissive. Unadorned, undisguised, those three words, uttered nakedly, comprised the most beautiful confession he'd ever heard.

Hiroki's personal physician thought his patient was showing remarkable progress.

"I can't think of a more wonderful gift, Hiro-san." Nowaki leaned his head down to kiss the soggy cinnamon head.

Hiroki was silent.

"Well, we're still fucking tonight, okay?" he grumbled at last, finally looking up into his big goof's smiling face.

"Oh, yes!" Nowaki said happily pulling Hiroki closer for their last minute together before they had to leave the sanctuary of the shower and re-enter the world. "And then we're going to do it a lot."

"Ribs, Nowaki!" Hiroki growled in the midst of the tight embrace, but the hybrid couldn't help the small smile that tugged the corners of his mouth, or the huge upward tug to his heart.

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><p><strong>New AN: I know I have been absent for a few days, but the start of classes, an illness, and a few other complications have kept me away. Also, how do you like the new cover? Poor Hiroki… Oh the angst. <strong>

**That said… Thank you to all who chimed in after my last note. **

**My lovely X- your travels with me through this tale again are much appreciated, as is the thought you put into each of your reviews.**

**Black Flamingo 101- You know I am not one to squee, but that's what my heart does each time I see you pop up on the review board, my dear cyber-uke. Your review of the Terrorist chapter delighted me and I can't wait to see how you incorporate this into your own developing neko-verse.**

**Ashley Tangerine- my sweet, you can be as late as you want, just don't stop. I await your reviews as eagerly as it sounds like you await new chapters. Is it terrible that I love you quoting lines from the story back to me? Your recognition of canon elements pleases me immensely as does your note of details. Thanks also for pointing out typos. It seems like no matter how many times I read, I can't get them all.**

**JMAG- I look forward to your notes and appreciate your attention to detail. Please feel free to let me know of any inconsistencies you see in the future…or typos for that matter. Read on my dear!**

**FrostySquid- glad to have you back. I thought I'd lost you there.**

**FujoshiNinjaNumber6- love that wily inner fangirl and I am so glad you like the story and that I could put it back up here for you. I relish your review and your Egoist love.**

**Araceli-kun- don't die, I want to hear more from you! So happy you like this story.**

**Loopy Hutton- So glad you're still around and thank you for all the alerts and favorites!**

**Anon, Reviewing, A, Guest I, Guest II, - Thanks for chiming in!**

**Chiho Kazusa, Ivy Jane Backer, and my sweet Kiyo12- Thank you so much for the notes, dearest readers. So glad to have you back on this return run.**

**J- lad you found the story and so pleased you like it. Hope to hear from you again. There can never be enough celebration of Egoist Love.**

**Allee-louise- Dude, love ya back. Thanks for the support!**

**New Violin- Thank you for the wonderful review. So glad you found me and my neko tales. You keep reviewing and I'll keep reposting/posting.**

**Greywonderland- What a lovely and heartfelt review. This first review from you makes up for not reviewing before and I hope you will Chime in again. So glad you're enjoying the story anew. Also, take heart as I will be reloading "The Escort" here too. Hopefully my stories won't be taken down.**

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><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**So I am sure all you naughty kittens are all furious with me now and are like WTF, Don't Preach, 3000+ words on prostate stimulation and mutual masturbation? For piss sake, just have them "get together" already! **

**As Lillemmi said in her review… "tease, tease, tease…" See, now you all have me quoting you.**

**I know how much you all want to see Nowaki fuck Hiroki and I know it may be a bit OOC for Nowaki to be so patient, especially considering his "I can't hold myself back" and his not ever being able to go slow in the manga/anime. But in the manga/anime Hiroki hadn't been repeatedly sexually abused /assaulted either (that we know of)… And Nowaki really loves him and doesn't want to further injure him. Plus, with the Japanese work ethic (please forgive the ethnic stereotyping) Hiroki couldn't be that late to work. He's kind of on probation right now after all and I have the sense that when they do finally "connect" in that way… Nowaki is not going to let Hiroki out of the bed for days…. **

**And returning to my "Hirokian" temperament (glad you liked my new word), truth is, I want it as badly as you do, but I cannot seem to allow myself to give in to your amorous desires without first a display of resistance (or twelve). Where is my Nowaki? The one who will overpower me and make me give in to what I secretly, deeply desire (sigh). **

**I promise you, just hang in there with me a little longer… there will be a glorious penetrative egoist moment or ten before this story is over… there is an ending for this tale you know and we are getting closer. And Egoistfangirl it will be L.E.G.E.N.D.A.R.Y.**

**So tomorrow is Misaki and Akihiko… I hope you're all curious as to how they've been doing.**

**For those of you who read this part of the chapter, Reficular did the cutest drawing of neko Hiroki in his towel, licking himself. Check out the link in Reficular's review (you just have to take out the spaces). Teabags, I know you draw, would you like to contribute a sketch (please?) and Avery, you said a scene made you want to draw. Do you? Would you? And share please? Same to any other artist out there.**

**Nadiwa Yagari,Lillemmi, NocturnalOtaku (totally with you on the MPREG boob thing, I mean seriously, WTF), Yaoifangirl4ever- smooches to all of you!**

**Lora32- so sorry to disappoint about the MPREG, but I hope to make it up to you in the future and thank you for adding your voice (plus I'm super impressed you read the notes first, wow)**

**Bronanas, ColeGreen- thank you for adding the story to your alerts**

**Madame Masquerade 64- so glad you're back with us and I hope whatever was up with your family is okay now and wasn't too terrible.**

**Teabags- I have seen "Thirteen," a powerful and disturbing film. So, you could have probably chanced drinking your tea while reading the above. So sorry to disappoint.**

**X- After your amazingly long review of the previous day (16 points- I was overwhelmed with pleasure), I cannot fault you for abbreviating yesterday. I am so glad you liked the chapter. I wrote it with your and Teabags romantic (ack!) hearts in mind.**

**Also, I like the FF PM system so that then I don't have to post my e-mail out in the open. Not every reader is as kind as you.**

**Egoistfangirl, I am so glad you liked the description of Nowaki's body, and I don't think it is bad to say you'd like to get into Nowaki's pants. Especially after Kiyo12 shared about that scene giving her a "lady boner," Oh my hell, Kiyo12, I laughed so hard… that was a new term for me. Princeton rub I know, but lady boner I was not familiar with. Thank you for the educational moment.**

**Also EFG, really, English is your second language? Well, you write better than a large number of my native English speaking students, but then that's the superior power of the American educational system I get to see every day at work.**

**Indigo and cobalt are both vibrant dark blue colors but indigo comes from a plant, cobalt is a naturally occurring chemical compound (geological).**

**Avery- You wait for my post, I equally wait for your review. Well, I am glad we can have no life together then. I'll write, you read…Sound fair? And where is that Hiro-san of yours on those lonely nights while you're waiting at your computer? Plus, I am honored that you like the story enough to be re-reading it…thank you.**

**Midoritenchi90- thank you for the PM and I really liked the idea. I think there is definitely something there to work with. Thanks!**

**xMoymoy, keep stalking and be glad you are not a frustrated Egoist fan.**

**Liz- glad you're still with us and congrats on the new job!**

**Kirakrz- reviewing from your IPOD. What dedication. Good luck again with your exams and no worries. I will wait for you to rejoin us (anxiously) once your educational obligations have been met.**

**Midnight Reader- where did you go? Do you see how easily spoiled I get.**

**AddictedToCoffee- no MPREG, thank you for the review and that you like the story, but please be careful with your pronouns…bad man : ) Nyan- also hope this pleases you and thank you for sounding off on the issue.**

**Ichigo Kousei- my lovely genderless crush, where are you? I missed you yesterday.**

**MeltXD- someone else who has been MIA for some time...**

**Last note, I realized I wrote WTF twice in this missive. My language skills are being corrupted by text slang… what sort of terrible abbreviation will I write next? OMG! (Well, there you have it- sigh.)**


	51. Parents: Romantica

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Fifty-One: Parents**

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><p>It was Friday morning.<p>

Misaki opened his emerald eyes to greet a new day, only to discover he was trapped in an unexpected menagerie a trois. He was stuck in his owner's bed between a giant bunny and a bear: Suzuki-san, Usagi-san's favorite giant plushie was on one side of him and on the other was Usagi, himself.

Living with Usagi-san for all the months he had, Misaki had never been given a room of his own like the Kamijou cat had. The Takahashi kitten had never thought to question the why of this. He was a neko and the second pet after all. Misaki knew he should be grateful that Usagi-san didn't lock him up in a crate or stick him out on the balcony to sleep at night.

Not to mention it had been drummed into him at his breeder's that, while it was required by law for hybrid owners to provide to their genetic half-breed wards with shelter and sustenance, the definition of these two terms was quite broad. For some masters, a cardboard box and rice and water was deemed more than sufficient.

The truth in Misaki's case, however, was he hadn't been given quarters of his own because his eccentric owner collected so much stuff:all of the rooms in the apartment were filled. Hiroki's old room was the only one whose contents were spare, not counting all the books, and despite the fact the cinnamon neko had run away, the room had remained sacrosanct.

At night Misaki had found himself sometimes sleeping with his owner, although most often Usagi-san dismissed his chocolate catboy after he'd had his midnight "snack." When Misaki hadn't been pulled into the horny silver-backed rabbit's toy-strewn warren of a bedroom, he slept in the laundry room. He didn't really mind this too much, since he found the rumble of the dryer and the smell of fresh linens soothing.

Misaki worked diligently to be a good pet and overcome his flawed neko nature that inclined him towards being territorial. He tried very hard not to feel annoyed sometimes that there was no corner of the palatial Usami flat that he could claim as his own. He told himself it wasn't like he really had that many things that needed to be stored. In fact, when he'd arrived at Usagi's from his breeder, all he had was a single small "The Kan" backpack filled with his clothes and a few pictures of his parent's and siblings.

However, since Tuesday's encounter with the Kamijou cat and his new giant seme, the last three days, Usagi-san had kept Misaki in his bed with him throughout the entire night.

Usagi-san was snoring softly. This sound was even more soothing to Misaki than the dryer's rumble, it reminded him of purring. Misaki could feel the vibrations in his owner's broad chest, pressed snugly up against his back. One of the man's long arms was draped over his waist. Misaki wondered if there was a way he could slip out from underneath it without waking Usagi-san up so he could go and get their breakfast started.

At the same time, while he knew he should be jumping into the day, it was awfully nice just to be lying there in Usagi-san's embrace without being actively pawed. With Suzuki-san's bulk and fake fur in front of him too, it reminded Misaki of the comfort of sleeping in kitten piles, back when he was still living at his breeder's.

Misaki uttered a small sigh and his ears flickered. Thinking about the breeder always made the kit-teen more than a little sad. It reminded him of his parents and their tragic demise.

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><p>Tokyo's top Takahashi breeder had taken his mother and father to compete in a prominent neko show. The Takahashi might have generally been considered an "average" line, but Misaki's parents excelled in both temperament and confirmation. Unfortunately, one of the handlers left the door to their kennel open and his parents, in all the activity of the huge hybrid expo, had slipped out unnoticed.<p>

His breeder later told Misaki that his ungrateful dam and sire had been trying to run away, but the kitten knew otherwise. He'd been having trouble with separation anxiety and had been suffering from a fever the night of the neko expo and had mewled pathetically when his parents had been packed up and taken away.

Misaki knew his antics had distressed both his parents. He was sure that they had left, not to escape, but to return home to their suffering kitten. Unfortunately, their breeder kept her nekos more or less homebound. It gave her hybrids a naivety that appealed to many potential owners.

Not street savvy in the least, tragically, once out in the busy Tokyo streets, Misaki's parents were hit by a double-decker bus. Both nekos were killed instantly.

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><p>Though he never spoke of it, ten years later the guilt of this stilled weighed heavily on Misaki. Since the moment he'd heard they were gone he'd felt responsible for their deaths. A single tear gathered in the corner of one of the catboy's large eyes and rolled down his cheek. A small sob unexpectedly escaped him.<p>

Misaki felt the author stir beside him. He wiped the tear away quickly so Usagi-san wouldn't see it.

"Misaki," Akihiko growled the teen kitten's name and his arm around the neko's waist pulled Misaki tighter to him. Akihiko leaned his head over Misaki's shoulder and laid his stubbly cheek atop his kitten's. He immediately felt the wetness left behind by Misaki's tear.

"Mi-chan?" Akihiko tried to smooth the rough edges from his voice but he was much more like a bear than a rabbit when he first woke. He propped himself up and looked down at the hybrid's tear-streaked cheek. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Misaki sniffed.

"Come now, Misa-kitty," Akihiko rumbled. "I thought after what happened on Tuesday and the talks we've been having, that you were going to make an effort to be more up front about how you were feeling."

It was true. Things had slowly started to change in the Usami household after Misaki had first declared his love and then slapped Usagi-san. The author was still a big horny pervert, but they had begun conversing in earnest and now the man was actually listening.

It had not taken Akihiko long, once he started paying attention to realize that the small Takahashi neko was smart in his own way, when he wasn't feeling rushed or nervous, and that the kitten had strong feelings as well. This made it so that Akihiko found he could no longer merely think of Misaki as his own personal maid and fuck toy. Well, not quite as much, anyway. The man and his neko had shared a number of serious exchanges and most recently an agreement had been struck that if Misaki would try to be more honest, he would try to be a little less of an asshole.

Misaki rolled over and uncharacteristically nuzzled his head into Usagi-san's chest, being careful of the black and blue Nowaki-sized hand print it carried. The tall man had really slammed his owner hard against the wall. Usagi-san had another dark bruise on his back to attest to this as well.

"I was thinking about my family," Misaki whispered; his ears flattened down with the weight of his shame. His tail slipped up and Misaki curled it shyly around Usagi-san's lean arm.

"It's my fault they got killed."

Akihiko was touched by his kitten's unexpected actions and his honesty.

A cool hand lifted a sharp chin. Misaki found himself looking into Usagi-san's intense lavender eyes.

"Nonsense, Misaki," Akihiko said, "that wasn't your fault." Misaki's breeder had told him a bit of the hybrid's tale of woe when he'd first picked Misaki from amongst her cache of Takahashi kittens.

"It's not?" Misaki asked hesitantly.

"No," said Akihiko, kissing his Mis-kitty's forehead. "If that idiot of a breeder had been smart, she would have put reflective collars on your parents in the first place and the accident never would have happened."

"Do you really think so, Usagi-san?" Misaki asked hopefully. He'd never thought of that. This possibility made him somehow feel just a bit better.

"I know so." Akihiko assured the kit-teen in his silky tones. "Now go fix my breakfast, puss, unless you feel like feeding me some Misaki for breakfast in bed." Somehow Usagi-san managed to sound both playful and serious at the same time.

Not wanting to wait around to discover which one it was, the chocolate hybrid scrambled up quickly and headed out of the room, knowing that Usagi-san would no doubt have his pet serving him Misaki sometime that morning regardless. As he headed downstairs, he reflected on the man's assurance.

Things were still far from perfect between he and the Usagi-san, Misaki knew, but at least it was a start.

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><p>Later, after a leisurely morning and two "breakfasts," Akihiko dropped Misaki off at the University's East entrance.<p>

"Misaki, I have an appointment with Aikawa this afternoon, so I might be a bit late. I want you to wait for me and not wander off."

With Usagi-san's two helpings that morning before allowing him to get ready for school, the poor kitten had barely had the chance to finish his own breakfast. Misaki made a note to himself to be sure and really scrub down the dining-room table when he got home that day after school.

"Oh, I forgot, Usagi-san." Misaki's ears swiveled nervously. He'd been reluctant to say anything before and now he was also running late for class.

"The school festival is next weekend and I told Sumi-senpai I'd help with the booth for his club. They're having a meeting about it this afternoon after classes. So I am going to be late myself, but if you want you can still pick me up. I'll use Sumi-senpai's phone to call you after we're done.

"I should be over on the south side of campus. That was where Sumi-senpai said we were meeting anyway." Seeing the disapproving look on Akihiko's face Misaki added, "Sumi-senpai is a perfectly nice neko, Usagi-san, and his parents are respected writers as well. You might even know them."

He closed the door and scampered away before his owner could forbid him to go.

Akihiko lit a cigarette before he restarted his car. "That Sumi neko is more of a dog than a cat if you ask me," he growled, sounding a bit canine himself.

He'd met the older university neko once before and hadn't liked the way the collegiate cat had been looking at his Misa-kitty. "Respected writers…" Akihiko sniffed, recalling the last of Misaki's comments. The author edged his car out into traffic.

"I may write NL novels myself, but I would never deign to read their feline fiction."

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><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**I am glad that you all seemed to like the lemon, though there are a few of you reviewers I have not heard from lately (you see how spoiled I have become?) Now I know that this chapter is not as dynamic or as long, as the last few… all the egoist and terrorist lemons (You all have worn me out a bit). I wish I could live in the shower with Hiroki and Nowaki all the time… but this story has a trajectory I'm hoping to follow. For those of you who expressed sorrow about the fact that this story will sometime come to an end (thank you, it made my little author's heart feel so good), please rest assured that there are probably at least another fifteen to twenty chapters (I think) depending on how things flow and how long each chapter will be.**

**I want to thank Avery, Reficular and Teabags for the awesome NEKO-HIRO drawings they are doing. If anyone can tell me how to add their deviantart links to my profile page, please do so (I'm a bit of a computer disaster). You should all go check their pieces out. I am so loving their fan art for this fan fiction!**

**MoonlightatDusk- perv smile right back at you!**

**Yaoifangirl4ever- that was like your longest review ever… now I know what I have to write to get you engaged, and your English seemed fine to me. Glad you like the Hiro hentai.**

**Madame Masquerade 64- you and me both.**

**Lillemmi- glad you liked it!**

**X( )- That has to be like a record review for fan fiction. I feel incredibly honored. I loved each and every comment and how carefully you read and consider each chapter. I suppose I do consider this writing an art form (though occasionally pornographic), it certainly is my creative outlet of choice at the moment. There is a lot of academic writing on the fine line between art and pornography. One of the best lines I think I have come across on this subject so far describes pornography as "the orphan sister of the arts." I liked that viewpoint. And as you may know from some of my previous review comments, straddling lines is part of my M.O.**

**Midoritenchi90- I have thought of catnip and we may get there before the end. Also, Egoistfangirl, I have also thought of the wonders of tail play in sexual activity and though I have been a bit prudish so far, know that you will witness the wonders of a tail job before this fic ends.**

**Aoryuu chanZ, - thanks for the favoriting/alerting.**

**Egoist fangirl- that beanied Hiroki was the hottest thing. (Okay, I have to say, the beanied Yukina in SIH is a close second, but my first heart will always belong to Hiroki). That was kind of the look I was thinking of when I put him in that cap that he wore to Akihiko's apartment. I would have had Shinobu bite his ear all over again if for no other reason than to get to picture him like that… (sigh…so hot)**

**Teabags- love the drawings and may I say again…More Please! Also, glad I am providing you with educational opportunities (you too, X) and about the "plump" balls comment. Well, I personally think that there are just not enough balls in fan fiction, it seems like everything is about the stem and not the apples you know? Don't get me wrong I love the ****, but the other is important too. So my mission… to mention balls in all of my lemons at least once… : ) Are you blushing yet, my dear, I believe that I am? If you really want to turn red you might do a search on the term teabagging….talk about giving perverted meaning to innocent things.**

**Nadiwa Yagari- hope the romatica chap. didn't disappoint and it was NoturnalOtaku who made the boob comment.**

**Midnight Reader- glad you are still here. I will see if I can't think up a Miyagi fic for you. xMoymoy, ASTROZOMBIE8, and you other terrorist junkies… anything in particular you'd like to see?**

**Ichigo Kousei- still waiting for you to return, You too Kirakrz!**

**Kiyo12- I hope I didn't embarrass you into silence with my comment on your L.B. Honestly I thought it was so cute.**

**Avery- love your drawing, love your reviews…If you weren't already taken I'd ask you to marry me (despite the fact I've already asked X and Teabags…tsk, I'm not just a tease, I'm a player as well). I wasn't sure I was going to get anything posted today, but knowing that you might be out there waiting for it kept me on going...Glad to know you found the last chapter so "enjoyable." My other mission (after the balls thing) is to bring all kinds of activity into play in my fics. Diversity is the spice of life as they say… Still no word from your Hiro-san… Is he shy like neko Hiroki?**


	52. Rejected: Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Fifty-Two: Rejected**

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><p>It was Friday morning.<p>

Miyagi slowly opened his eyes. He'd been awakened by the sensation of a small caramel kitten licking his chest. He looked down to see a pair of unblinking grey eyes regarding him hungrily.

"Oi, Shinobu," the groggy tom growled, "Haven't you had enough yet?"

It had been Tuesday that he had come home to find the young uke neko in full heat. And even with his pills, Shinobu's heat-fever had not finally broken until halfway through the previous night. Now, after three days of rampant sexual activity, Miyagi was feeling broken himself, and not in the way this term had previously been being used: the huge hybrid was exhausted.

Shinobu, on the other hand, with his youth and uke resilience, was obviously in a fine fettle.

Miyagi closed his eyes and groaned at the thought of last night's debauchery and offered a silent prayer of thanks to his ancestors that the pills had finally kicked in and Shinobu's heat had not lasted a full week as was normal.

Though his expulsion had ended on Wednesday, there had been no way that Shinobu could attend school during his heat. Difficult as it was for the black seme tom to pry himself off Shinobu and vice versa, the professor had known he could not miss his classes. So, though it made him uncomfortable, Miyagi had been forced to restrain the kitten and lock Shinobu in his bedroom to keep the small hybrid from catting-about once he left to go to work. He'd also done this to keep Shinobu safe from other seme nekos who might ravish his uke ward, if the catboy left the apartment.

Attending to Shinobu's heat induced nymphomania was one thing, but then the harried Miyagi had to listen to his returned junior, Kamijou, offer complaints about how it smelled like he'd just entered a "cat house" every time he walked into their office.

Miyagi had been starting to wish he'd never gotten Dean Takatsuki's permission to let Kamijou come back early. It wasn't his fault after all. The scent of Shinobu's previously repressed first heat was over powering. And as much as Miyagi had tried, he just couldn't keep the small uke from rubbing up against him.

Being so heavily permeated with the clove-honey scent of Shinobu's "Caramel No. 5" also made it difficult for Miyagi's neko students to concentrate, especially as neko heat season was quickly dawning. In fact, a few of his feline students were already using their excused absences, out early, dealing with their own heats.

Miyagi thought of the number of male neko students and even a few olfactory-sensitive humans who'd suddenly sought him out, requesting "extra attention" with their coursework, unconsciously drawn by the smell of hot uke on their literature professor. His tufted ears flattened sideways and he pinched the bridge of his nose at these recollections.

Then Miyagi felt the thick plume of his tail being stroked by slender figures. He twitched it away peevishly, out of the playful kitten's plucking paws.

"Go back to sleep, Shinobu. It's too damn early yet."

"Miyagi," Shinobu purred, ignoring the growl in Miyagi's voice. He crawled up on top of the reclining tom's chest and lightly nipped the older neko's chin. "You 'fixed' me so good last night."

Despite the fact that the wee neko's first heat had effectively ended, with Shinobu on top of him like this, Miyagi could feel the kitten's adolescent morning erection pressing into his belly. His own weary cock twitched in response, but did not rise to the jail bait. Miyagi was very conscious that Shinobu's scent was much lighter today, so much so in fact, the kitten could probably manage going to school without being mauled. With the dissipation of Shinobu's spicy pheremonal perfume his ardor had also diminished.

"Come on, Shinobu, enough," Miyagi grumbled, pushing the kitten off him. "If you're going to get up, you need to go get ready. I think you're probably well enough to return to school today."

Shinobu tumbled over and a very hurt look appeared on kit-teen's face, but only for a moment. Shinobu's ears perked forward. "I love you, Miyagi," he said earnestly.

Miyagi wearily pushed himself up out of the bed. He did a deep stretch and a yowling yawn. Then he glanced down at Shinobu, but said nothing.

"Aren't you going to say it back?" Shinobu demanded, his ears going flat as he tried to keep the tremor out of his voice. He scooted over to the edge of the futon, his lean gold tail switched expectantly.

"Ahh, no, Shinobu…" Miyagi went over to the low dresser and picked up a pack of cigarettes.

A look of perplexity filled Shinobu's eyes. "But you said it to me yesterday and the day before." Shinobu's voice carried an edge of exasperation and his tail took on an uneasy curl.

Miyagi pulled out a cigarette and lit it. His black tail swayed in anticipation of the first nicotine of the day. Miyagi took a deep drag and intently studied the caramel neko now perched anxiously on the edge of his bed. Finally he moved back over, sat down on the edge of futon, and patted Shinobu's knee before lightly resting his hand there, in what he hoped seemed like a pawternal manner.

Miyagi hated feeling like a cruel bastard, but the Takatsuki needed to understand how things went in the neko world.

"Shinobu..." The noir neko paused as he struggled to articulate himself. "You have to understand, Kit, powerful things happen when nekos are around each other during a heat cycle. Things can sometimes get out of control. That's why hybrid legislation around heat policies is so strict. It's a hard truth, I know, but chemical attractions and animal instincts cause us to, well… We do and say things we wouldn't otherwise."

Shinobu's expression was stunned. Then it became deeply thoughtful as he took in what Miyagi was saying to him. Shinobu's lithe tail stilled completely as understanding dawned. He looked up and his ears quivered as he beheld the uncomfortable big tom sitting beside him.

"But I'm not in heat anymore and I still love you," Shinobu confessed. "It's fate, Miyagi," he added, a tiny note of desperation creeping into his voice.

"Ah, Shinobu-chin." Miyagi scratched the back of his shaggy head nervously with the hand holding his cigarette, knocking ash onto the already much-abused sheets. "I don't know if it is so much fate as pheromones and besides, Kitten…" Miyagi moved his free hand off Shinobu's leg and lifted the kitten's chin. He tried hard not to notice how perfectly it fit in his hand. "I think that you are a bit young to really understand what love means."

Without thinking, Miyagi released Shinobu's chin and fingered the collar his owner, Sensei, had given him all those years ago. Then he set his hand on Shinobu's thin shoulder.

Shinobu considered the older cat seriously for a few moments then his brow took on a significant scowl.

"Who are you to say what I am or am not old enough to understand?" Shinobu's voice grew fierce and would have sounded even more so, if its solidity hadn't revealed it to also contain some adolescent cracks.

"Say what you want about yourself, Miyagi, but don't ever think that I don't know what I feel!" The wee kit shook off Miyagi's hand and stomped out of the room.

Miyagi heard the bathroom door slam and the water in the tub start to run. He lay back on the bed and took another deep drag.

As he blew a plume of smoke into the air, Miyagi sighed. He felt greatly convicted. He was only neko after all, but even so, ravishing his young kitten ward as many times as he had over the past few "heated" days given their age difference, not to mention his appointment by Dean Takatsuki as Shinobu's caretaker, was not appropriate behavior. Miyagi wished he'd been able to keep this sense of propriety secured in his brain, and his dick in his pants.

He'd had every intention of behaving honorably each time he'd returned home, but whenever Shinobu's heat scent hit him, he couldn't seem to keep either of his heads rational. And yes, perhaps he had told the kitten he loved him, but that was just something one said in a moment of pheremonal passion.

_Right?_

Miyagi found he was not being as successful in convincing himself as he'd hoped.

Now it was obvious he'd led the poor Takatsuki kitten astray. The noir neko's tail drooped with self-disgust as he wondered what in the hell he was going to do with Shinobu now.

Miyagi took a last puff on his dwindling smoke and slowly exhaled. He had a sinking feeling once again and imagined that more certainly than his cigarette, that the Takatsuki cat was going to end up being the death of him.

* * *

><p>Miyagi fixed breakfast while Shinobu was still in the bath.<p>

It was the one meal the older neko could really cook and he needed something to keep himself occupied. By the time Shinobu finally stepped, fully dressed, out of the bathroom, red-eyed, but otherwise looking ready to return to school, Miyagi was sitting at the table. Breakfast sat waiting. The older neko had already filled his own bowl and was sipping his tea while he glanced through some of his students' papers.

Shinobu bowed his head and wordlessly shuffled over to the table. He sat down and began to listlessly fill his rice bowl.

Miyagi peered at the kitten over his papers but Shinobu refused to meet his gaze.

The two hybrids sat in the awkward quietude of their breakfast table for several minutes.

Finally Shinobu broke the silence. "What time will you be home today, Miyagi-san?"

It pained Miyagi that the Takatsuki had gone back to the more formal mode of address. Still, it was no doubt for the best now.

"I have a lot of work to get to today, Shinobu." Miyagi muttered. "Coming home right after classes the last few days has really put me behind. " The truth was that wearing the Takatsuki's "Young Spice" cat cologne had made him so horny the last two days, he'd hardly been able to wait to get home and fuck Shinobu.

"I'm sorry that my heat caused you such inconvenience, Miyagi-san." Shinobu did not look up from his bowl.

"Oi, Shinobu…" Miyagi's expression was pained; his tail swished uncomfortably, "Maybe you should plan to come to my office once you get out of school. You can do your makeup homework there while I'm working."

Shinobu looked up with a glimmer of hope in his eye. The spark was quickly extinguished, however, when Miyagi added, "that should give you a chance to apologize to Kamijou-san for the fight you started with him on Monday."

Shinobu's head dropped back down. "Oh, sure," he mumbled. Now that he was not suffering from PHS or HS, he was determined not to cry in front of Miyagi.

Still Shinobu believed whole-heartedly in his idea of _Fate_.

Despite how Miyagi's words had crushed him this morning, the kitten could not let go of the conviction that somewhere, under Miyagi's chemical seme response to him, the older neko harbored some tender feelings.

Shinobu put his mind to work on how to get Miyagi to confess to him, since the big idiot was too stubborn to admit it.

Miyagi could still see how hurt the wee kit still was. He didn't think it was possible for Shinobu's caramel ears to go any flatter. His own head dropped down and his big black ears flattened too.

_Well, better now than later, once he really gets attached_._ He has to be ready to go back to Dean Takatsuki and eventually Risako._

At the thought of the Dean and his human ex-wife the professorial neko was filled with a sense of foreboding, not just for his own future, but that of the small caramel hybrid sitting across the table from him.

_What a fucking mess of things I've made._ Miyagi inwardly sighed.

Though they continued to sit across from each other for the rest of the meal, each neko felt completely alone, locked silently in his own sorrowful speculations.

* * *

><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**Oh no, two couples get better and one couple gets worse. What is going to happen next? I'm sorry this chapter is so late today. You might notice I started another fic. I figured this one I have spent being mean to Hiroki the whole time, so in the new one I'm picking on Nowaki. No, he's not a puppy, but I do still plan to do that one too… Anyway, please check that one out and let me know what you think. It looks to be decidedly more dramatic than this one.**

**By the way… My heart and prayers are with all you readers on the East side of the US right now dealing with the Hurricane… Ichigo Kousei and others..**

**Midoritenchi90- thanks for the holler and for being the first to review my new fic. Hooray!**

**Yaoilover796- glad you thought it was cute.**

**Lillemmi- drama is indeed coming soon.**

**Nadiwa Yagari- sorry about the lack of lemon, but the zest will return in the future promise, at least one more good lemon per couple before the end of the fic.**

**( ) –Is that you Hiro-san? Whoever you are… Thanks!**

**Kiyo12-glad you are so resilient! Keep reading!**

**Lastbloom- so glad you are back**

**Madame Masquerade 64- your comment so made me laugh!**

**Teabags- I must say *blush* that yeah, until I knew you were from the UK I had kind of thought your penname was for that too… I am a bad person. **

**Ichigo Kousei- glad you are back and hope you can stay with us. Please let us know how things are going if you can and I will try and update to keep you amused during the storm, should help for a few minutes at least. Oh, there will be penetration too, so don't despair.**

**Midnight Reader- Sumi creeps me too. And yes, please think of a Miyagi scenario you'd like to see. I'd love to write a piece for you. Who knows, maybe there's a SIH fic in me too somewhere, though I have only seen the OVA so far.**

**X ( ) - I am truly deeply moved by your confession. I would propose marriage again, but as this would be my fifth reader proposal this week, I am afraid you wouldn't take me seriously. Until you return, I shall wait… Hope wherever you are going it is fun and restorative.**

**Avery- By the time this finds you today, or tonight, really you should definitely be in bed. Your Hiro-san is a lucky guy and you live in the coolest state (Go New York!). Maybe Hiroki and Nowaki should fly there and get married at the end of the fic. Though I wonder how long they would want to keep Hiroki in quarantine first? More pictures please and I struggle drawing semes myself.**

**Egoistfangirl- What a considerate reader you are, only reading my notes to you. And Thank You for being my 500th review! Hooray!**

**So I haven't read the SIH manga, but it is on my list, only seen the OVA. Nope, Yukina does it for me and yes, piercings are hot, and yes… he is so Kusama-Kamijou's lovechild. I have to say as an artist, it was the kiss behind the sketchbook that so hooked me on that couple- nothing sweeter than that…**

**I do hope to write a SIH fic at some point, but won't until I read the manga. About "sacrosanct," glad to know I am teaching you something besides perversion with this fic. Also glad that I am changing your perception of the Romantica couple, though they are my least favorite, that's why I write Akihiko the way I do (Romatica fans..Noooo… please don't stone me!). I'm sorry but it always bothered me that Akihiko basically assaulted Misaki (though it was sort of hot- yeah I'm a perv…) and then confesses his love. Misaki should have told on him is all I have to say… Then Akihiko could have gone to jail and that would be fitting punishment for breaking my Hiroki's heart… (I just got weird there for a minute didn't I?) Oh, last thing, Akihiko's comment on the feline fiction. He doesn't mind writing about cats, but he won't read book by feline authors (as they're less than, you know?)**


	53. Post Script: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Fifty-Three: Post Script**

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><p>Despite the fact that with his shower antics he'd barely made it to his first lecture on time, today had been a great day for Hiroki.<p>

The neko reflected on this as he sat comfortably at his desk in the office he now shared with Miyagi, entering grades into his online grade book. There had been the relative peace of the last few days… the _amazing_ morning with Nowaki… Hiroki started to blush just thinking about it, his tail twitched with an electric quiver.

It was disconcerting to Hiroki, the fact that he had clearly and plainly professed his love to his new partner… ahem… owner, but, given all the "I love you-s" Nowaki had offered, how could he not? He'd never received such affirmations of love from anyone before, in any context. In fact, the Kamijou cats were such a proud breed Hiroki realized that Nowaki had told him "I love you" more times in the space of those intimate moments that morning, than his own parents had in the whole of his life. The neko also realized, however, despite this, his declaration was more than just mere reciprocation. At the time that he'd said it; Hiroki had meant it, deeply and completely.

Hiroki had never known anything like this before.

Thoughts of everything he had been through still made Hiroki shudder or occasionally tear up. But, if his life could just go on like it was now, it would have been worth all the pain and the humiliation he'd endured, because those unfortunate experiences had brought him the tremendous gift that was Nowaki.

The neko's forehead furrowed and his ears swiveled, "Considering gifts..." Hiroki suddenly blushed deeper thinking about what he would be giving Nowaki that night.

However, the proud hybrid had also decided he wanted to get Nowaki a physical present, besides the physical presence the man would be receiving in a few more hours.

While Hiroki didn't have any time to go out shopping today, he had made a few calls and had been able to order his gift over the phone from a neko-friendly shop. He'd been pleasantly surprised to learn that it would be ready for him to pick up tomorrow afternoon. He could retrieve it while Nowaki was working at the flower shop. It would be a day late, but Hiroki was confident that Nowaki wouldn't mind.

Though Hiroki would never admit it, he was also more than a bit curious about what it was that Nowaki was picking up that afternoon for him. Knowing what a big romantic goof the man was, Hiroki imagined that it would most likely be terribly cheesy. This thought brought a slight smile to his face and a lift to his already proud ears, but only because he was the only one currently in the office.

As he was alone, Hiroki allowed himself an even bigger smile and a pleased tail curl when he noticed at the bottom of his computer screen three more new messages had come into his e-mail. He saved his grades and clicked out of his grade book. Clicking into his e-mail, he saw, as he suspected, all three of the new messages were from Nowaki.

The man had been sending him increasingly frequent e-mails from his phone all day. It was annoyingly dear. Stupid little notes like:

_I miss you, Hiro-san XOXOXOX N. _

_I love you, Hiro-san XOXOXOXOX N._

_Three more hours…. XOXOXOXOX N._

_I miss you, Hiro-san XOXOXOX N. _

_I love you, Hiro-san XOXOXOXOX N._

_Two more hours….,OXOXOXOXOX N._

_I miss you, Hiro-san XOXOXOX N. _

_I love you, Hiro-san XOXOXOXOX N._

_I'm picking up your present and will be there soon….OXOXOXOXO N._

_I miss you, Hiro-san XOXOXOX N. _

_I love you, Hiro-san XOXOXOXOX N._

Hiroki in turn had been responding in his own way with replies that went something like:

_Yeah. K.H._

_Ditto. K.H. _

_Okay. K.H. _

_Yes. K.H. _

And finally:

_I know. Stop sending me all these emails, you big dork, how am I supposed to get any work done with your constant distractions? K.H._

_p.s. xo_

_p.s. p.s. XO_

_p.s. p.s. p.s. XOXOXO (Okay?) _

Of course Hiroki waited until he thought Nowaki had sent the last e-mail he would prior to picking him up before he responded that way.

Hiroki closed down his computer.

The hybrid was pleased that despite all Nowaki's interruptions, he had been able to get quite a bit done. He had always enjoyed working on campus on Friday afternoons, as most of the students fled as soon as possible to their various activities and parties, leaving the grounds and the halls relatively empty and therefore much quieter.

Just as Hiroki was packing up his things to leave, Miyagi came in, having just completed his last lecture for the day. Hiroki cautiously watched the noir neko stump over to his desk and immediately locate and light up a cigarette. For some reason the huge hybrid had been far from his usual playful self and had been acting much more like a neko with its tail caught in a vise all day.

Miyagi sank into his chair with a sigh.

He'd hardly said two words to Hiroki since coming into the office that morning, not that Hiroki minded this terribly, With his luck, however, of course it was just as he was on his way out the door that Miyagi finally decided he wanted to start a conversation.

"So, you're leaving, Kamijou?" Miyagi murmured through a cloud of smoke.

"Ah, I was planning on it, Professor Miyagi." Hiroki edged closer towards the door. Unfortunately with his new status as the older professor's assistant he was compelled to ask, "Unless there's something you need?"

"A bit early for you, isn't it? The last few days you've stayed rather late." Although he seemed somewhat irresponsible and air-headed at times, the old tom was actually quite acute.

"Well, I am … meeting Nowaki," Hiroki stammered beginning to turn red. His ears twitched in embarrassment. "He's supposed to be picking me up at the south gate."

"Things are going well with your new owner then. Yes?" Miyagi suddenly felt sorry for his own lot and the mess he'd created with Shinobu.

"Ahem, yes… fairly well, I would say." Hiroki was being purposefully evasive. He felt no need to broadcast his situation or the depths of his affection.

"Can I ask you a question, Kamijou?" Miyagi sighed through his smoke. "Uh, hypothetically?" he added as he tapped out some ash into the overflowing ashtray on the edge of his desk.

"Hypothetically?" Hiroki sighed in return. He hoped Nowaki was running late. He looked at the office door longingly and then back at the forlorn feline sitting before him. "Okay."

"At what age do you think a neko is truly old enough to know what "love" is?" Miyagi leaned back in his chair and eyed Hiroki intently. His plumed tail tapped the floor lightly as he waited for a response.

Hiroki was suddenly panicked that maybe something he'd done that day had revealed to Miyagi that he was totally smitten. That through some inadvertent action or expression he'd given away his new and increasing understanding of what it felt to love and be loved.

"Well," Hiroki started carefully, "I think it depends on what type of love you might be talking about." He was trying to figure out how to get out of this conversation gracefully. "I mean for example, a kitten knows and loves its mother and it can feel that love returned or not returned, long before it can articulate those feelings."

"Yes, but what about romantic love?" Miyagi demanded, sounding frustrated. "How old do you think a neko has to be before he or she can truly understand romantic love?"

Hiroki took a deep breath and scratched his ever-itching, stitched ear, "Miyagi-sensei, I am probably not the right hybrid to ask." Then when he saw the big cat's face he knew that Miyagi had not accepted his answer.

Hiroki paused a minute and then reflecting on his own recent experiences decided to be honest. "I think that love can be found at any age if someone is willing to be open to it. And as for understanding love… I don't know that one ever really can…regardless of how old he or she is. It seems to me often as though just as when one thinks he has love figured out, it chooses to reveal something new about itself."

Miyagi exhaled another long plume of smoke. His tail swished thoughtfully as he considered both the neko before him and his words. "Hmmmm… you know, Kamijou, I think there might be more to you than just a pretty face."

Hiroki blushed and scowled simultaneously. He growled and his ears twitched irritatedly in response to both Miyagi's comment and the sappy thing he himself had just said.

"Don't let your brat catch you saying things like that," Hiroki warned. "The hair on my ear is just starting to come back in and I don't relish the idea of another trip to the vet's any time soon!"

Deciding he'd humored the older cat enough, Hiroki stated, "I'm going now." He moved again towards the door before Miyagi asked him any more ridiculous questions or either of them made any more embarrassing comments.

"But Shinobu is going to apologize to you this afternoon when he gets here after school, now that his heat is off." Miyagi's voice held the barest trace of a plea. The truth was that after this morning, he wasn't really relishing the idea of being alone with Shinobu again.

Hiroki rolled his eyes as he reached for the doorknob; he was so close to getting away.

"He can apologize to me another day." Then seeing the look of desperation on Miyagi's face he added firmly, "I'm going to be late to meet Nowaki. I have to go."

"Just one more question," Miyagi plaintively petitioned.

Hiroki stopped with the door halfway open and looked back. His tail swished impatiently.

"What do you think about the possibility of love between two beings," Miyagi began, "when they are of vastly different ages? When one is old and jaded by the ways of the world and the other is fresh and relatively innocent?"

Miyagi watched carefully for Hiroki's reaction to his question. "Do you think there's any hope for a relationship like that? Or do you think that the world worn one will just hurt and wear down the other one over time?"

Miyagi took out and lit up a new cigarette; his tufted ears perked curiously forward. "I mean, really, wouldn't it just be better for the corrupted one to let the other one go? Even if he thought he might love him?"

Hiroki suddenly felt as though the older professorial hybrid had just encapsulated the majority of his own questions about his relationship with Nowaki. It was obvious to Hiroki that he had somehow revealed himself to Miyagi and that the big neko felt his junior should abandon his new relationship. It made Hiroki furious that Miyagi would be so bold as to dare make such a suggestion.

"Professor Miyagi," Hiroki declared hotly, "if you have a problem with my relationship with my owner, than just say it to my face and can it with the 'hypothetical' couchings! I'll let you know right now, I have no intention of letting Nowaki go!"

Hiroki was so incensed he had no idea of what he was really saying. The words left his mouth before he even had a chance to fully comprehend them. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. True love is too precious to ever discard like that, whether it endures for a microsecond or millennia."

Miyagi cocked an eyebrow at the younger neko. He was delighted not only with his junior's rabid declaration, but also with how horrified Hiroki's expression became once he realized what it was he had just truly said. It did a great deal to lift the old tom's spirits.

Miyagi congratulated himself again on requesting the Kamijou cat as an assistant.

"Ahhh," Miyagi chuckled at Hiroki's scarlet face, "my dear Kamijou, I had no idea you were such a romantic, and a poet as well as a scholar." He clarified, "I was, in truth, speaking as I said, _hypothetically_, but it is so touching to know that you hold your new owner so dear…"

"Well, I was speaking hypothetically too!" Hiroki shouted, realizing how stupid this sounded. He was beside himself with mortification; his fragile pride had just suffered a near mortal blow.

"Anyway, I am done wasting time on your pointless wonderings. Save any more questions for that crazy kitten of yours!" Hiroki stormed out of their office into the University's quiet corridors. He shut the door behind him firmly on Miyagi's Cheshire grin.

* * *

><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

** So no new notes really today, just know that we are rapidly heading towards drama... BIG drama... **

**Okay, well, I guess there is one other rather big note. This has come up with a few readers lately and so now I've decided to come clean…I have another pen name I write under for on this site. You might have come across one of my other fictions under the name of Cerberus Revised… Yeah, so there's that…(And poor X() is gone and will not hear my confession...)**

**I hope you can forgive my duplicitous nature and obsessive writing tendencies. **

**(Oh and Cerberus does have an MPREG story, but just so you know, I started writing that because it really does freak me out- plus most of them are just so bad... No offense to anyone else who has written one, I probably missed yours and it is probably really good.) **

**Rapidly moving on now…**

**Again Ichigo Kousei and MoonlightatDusk- hope you are braving the storm okay.**

**Avery and Madame Masquerade 64, Lillemmi, Lastbloom, Yaoifangirlforever, Reficular, NocturnalOtaku, Fefe77777, Kiyo12, where are you? You have been missed. I hope that you are all safe, wherever you are.**

**Kirakrz- thank you for the review for "The Escort". Oh and Hiroki is already gay. He's hiring Nowaki to pretend to be his boyfriend... so...**

**Yaoilover796: A lot!**

**Midnight Reader: Thank you for the long review. I loved it and your prompt for the Terrorist fic. I will get my brain going. I agree with you that while I hate smoking it can look quite sexy (especially on cartoon men). I do plan also to read SIH, but it's hard to find the time when all I want to do is write these stories. (Thank you for reviewing The Escort, though greedy me I was hoping you'd offer a few more of your thoughts.)**

**Midoritenchi90- you are right and thank you for the agreement! (and thank you for "The Escort" review)**

**Ichigo Kousei- glad you liked the terrorist chapter. I am surprised not to have heard from any of the other terrorist fans. (ASTROZOMBIE8, xMoymoy-are you out there?)**

**Nadiwa Yagari, Aquamilk, Failover77 -Thank you for chiming in.**

**Teabags- that cat smell is definitely not what Miyagi was smelling. I was thinking more along the line of honey and cloves. Also, SIH does seem more poetic to me than JR and even the animation more refined. It is hard sometimes when I spend so much time picturing this stuff in my head to go back to the JR manga and see how crudely some of the panels are drawn. Thank god for the OVA. Also, I did just read a part of the newest volumes of JR (Where Akihiko takes Misaki to the "secret place" and shows him the stars- that was Hiroki's place first and he didn't even ask his permission…grr that man!) and Akihiko looked way different to me. It seemed like he was being drawn much younger. Anyone else think so or am I crazy? (Don't answer that).**

**Egoistfangirl- so now you know why I only had the one story… Sorry I didn't come clean then, I guess I just needed a bit more prompting. I have loved all your reviews by the way… rather live for them in fact. Thank you for all your comments on the new Egoist piece "The Escort," your feedback was very much appreciated. Oh and yes when I said "my" Hiroki, of course I meant it in a rather parental /fraternal kind of way *cough* (Please don't beat me up Nowaki). I just hate to see him suffer- unless of course I'm the one making it happen. (Even then it breaks my heart.) **

**Oh and Egoistfangirl thank you for your comment about the reviews. You know this fic has gotten over 20,000 hits this month. And over 500 reviews since it started. That means way more people are reading than reviewing. I am delighted that so many have been reading the story, but hearing what people think really has inspired me to be as diligent with this fic as I have been.**

**To all the faithful reviewers you really have no idea how good it makes me feel to go into my e-mail and see those two little words "review alert." Thank You!**


	54. Ex: Terrorist, Egoist, Romantica

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Fifty-Four: Ex**

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><p>Miyagi sat a moment more at his desk, then stubbed out his cigarette and went to the door. His tail swished energetically. He had just thought of the perfect remark to shout down the empty corridor at the younger professor, something that would be sure to keep Kamijou in a perpetual blush for the duration of the weekend. However, just before he opened the door his cell phone rang.<p>

Despite being annoyed at the interruption, he flipped it open. Before he could say hello, the speaker on the other end of the phone jumped in.

"Yoh?"

His name was uttered with such familiar irritation Miyagi knew instantly it was his ex-wife, Risako.

"Ah, hello, Risako," Miyagi answered smoothly though his ears involuntarily flattened. "This isn't really a good time. Can I call you back?"

"This will only take a minute, Yoh." Risako sighed: she was no stranger to Miyagi's tomfoolery. She added in an annoyed tone. "Do you really think I desire to talk with you any longer than I have to either?"

"Okay, what is it?" Miyagi's voice lost some of its polish.

"I'm calling about Shinobu."

"And?" Miyagi's tail suddenly developed a nervous tick.

"My father said he'd left Shinobu with you and that the kitten had missed some of his pills." Risako's statement held an accusatory tone.

"Yes, so? Those two things were neither my choice nor my fault." Miyagi kept his voice flat but his heart instantly started racing.

"Did you give them to Shinobu and get him caught up in time? You know what they're for. Right?"

"Yes and yes." It was only a lie by one third, Miyagi rationalized.

"Thank god! I can't tell you how worried I was. The thought that he might be staying with you while he was in heat…"

"What in the hell is that supposed to mean?" Miyagi's volume increased considerably. He growled. "If you're really that worried about Shinobu's welfare, why aren't you taking care of him yourself, instead of dumping him off with whoever is convenient!"

"Come off it, Yoh," Risako snorted. "We both know that I wasn't the only one in our marriage who prowled around… And I've been busy with my work. You of all people should know about that." A note of perplexity crept in to Risako's next words.

"It's funny though, Yoh, for a minute you almost sounded as though you actually cared about Shinobu."

"Anything else?" Miyagi pointedly ignored her charges including the last one. His voice had regained most of its original composure though his ears twitched violently at the truth of her words.

"Yes, I want you to take him to the _Faux Paws Kennel_ tomorrow. I would have demanded that earlier if I'd had any idea that my foolish father might leave him with _you_."

Miyagi felt the hair on his ears and his tail raise defensively. "Shinobu seems to like me, Risako. Which I imagine is more than he'd say about you."

Even after what had happened that morning Miyagi hated the thought of Shinobu being locked away somewhere like that. After his first owner passed away, before being emancipated, he had been kenneled himself for a time while her estate was being settled. The experience had not sat well with him.

"We're getting along just fine. I don't see any reason for you to subject him to that."

"My father will pick him up from the kennel on Monday." It was Risako's turn to gloss over Miyagi's previous comments. "Heat or not, Yoh, don't fuck with my kitten!

"The Takatsuki imprints with its first heat-pairing and only mates for life." Then she added, not bothering to disguise her bitterness, "I may not be the best foster owner, but I can't bear to think what Shinobu would have had to go through if he'd ended up imprinting with a callous, self-absorbed, workaholic like you."

Risako hung the phone up on a stunned Miyagi.

_What the hell did she just say? The Takatsuki cat mates for life?_

Suddenly the old tom felt sick to his stomach. Shinobu's small voice saying "Fate, Miyagi-san," echoed through his mind. Miyagi strongly felt the urge to go splash some water on his hot face, although he knew that no amount of ablution would be able to wash away the guilt of what he had unknowingly done.

Reeling, Miyagi opened the door to leave his office only to find himself confronted with a pair of huge stone gray eyes. Shinobu had just been reaching for the door when it opened.

"Miyagi-san," the little caramel cat greeted. He had managed to put aside his earlier despondence and instead now somehow managed to look excited, pleased, and nervous all at the same time.

Miyagi took a step back.

"Oi, Shinobu…"

Miyagi had no idea where to start. The kitten was so cute in his wear-rumpled school uniform, a pack on his back, and a small paper bag clutched tightly to his chest.

"Is Kamijou-san here?" Shinobu asked anxiously. A blush crept into his pale cheeks, "I'm ready to apologize to him." He peered around Miyagi and into the cluttered room looking for the other professor.

"Ah, Shinobu-chin," Miyagi said softly, "Kamijou has gone for the day, you'll have to speak with him another time."

"Oh?" Shinobu's ears swiveled forwards, the small hybrid looked both disappointed and relieved. His lithe tail switched. He pushed past Miyagi into the room, as he did he took the huge hybrid's paw. Miyagi tried to draw it away, but Shinobu just held on to it and used it to pull him further back into the room.

"Close the door, Miyagi." Shinobu was looking very seriously now at the shocked older neko. "It's just as well Kamijou-san's gone, because I want to talk with you about something very important."

"Well, that's good, Shinobu-chin… um, because I think I need to speak with you about some important things too." Miyagi took the lead and walked over to the small couch in the room. He settled Shinobu on the end not currently cluttered with papers.

Before Shinobu could say anything, Miyagi pulled up a chair across from the small caramel cat and sat down himself. "Shinobu, what do you know about your particular neko hybrid breed?"

Shinobu studied Miyagi with his granite-gray eyes. "Well, umm… That we're smart… and now I know that we tend to get our first heats kind of young." Shinobu blushed as he said this latter part.

"Anything else?" Miyagi desperately wanted to believe that Shinobu was not so innocent. It would make what he was about to do so much easier if he could allow that somehow the small Takatsuki had purposely tricked him into their pairing.

"No, not that I can think of." The kitten sounded unfortunately earnest.

"Risako called me this afternoon."

"Oh?" At the name of his foster owner Shinobu looked down and clutched the small bag he'd been holding closer to his chest. His ears drooped a bit and his tail twitched unhappily.

"She told me that Takatsukis imprint with their first pairing and mate for life. You can't tell me you didn't know that, Shinobu." The seme tom's voice came out harsher than he intended. "You should've stopped me."

Gray eyes widened in wonder both at this new truth and the older cat's tone.

"I didn't know, Miyagi. Honestly." Shinobu wanted the older neko to believe him. Then his young face took on a new expression, his ears lifted, and his eyes lit up.

"But don't you see now… it _is_ Fate," Shinobu exclaimed happily. "We're supposed to be together!" His kitten ears leveled when he saw none of this new happiness in Miyagi's expression. Shinobu quickly lost his shine and started to scowl.

"Well… if what you say is true about me…" He stammered, looking for words. "Then … I demand you take responsibility for me now." Miyagi's eyes widened at this bold declaration. He met Shinobu's glistening gaze.

"Shinobu, I can't." Miyagi hoped to sound kind but really ended up sounding more frustrated. He was thinking about Risako's words and the truth of them.

"Ummm… Miyagis mate for life too, you see." Miyagi pointed to the collar that his first and only owner had placed around his neck when he was not much older than Shinobu. "My first mate was my Sensei, so I can't be responsible for you." His voice was sadly firm.

"Then what the hell was it that we were doing for the last three days?" Despite his best efforts, Shinobu's eyes had passed glistening and were now brimming with tears. Miyagi hated himself.

_Shinobu is seriously going to be the death of me._

He took a pack of cigarettes off of the low table in front of the couch, pulled one out and lit up. If nothing else, the cancer sticks were an effective momentary diversion. He struggled to gather his thoughts.

"Look, Shinobu, this is what I was trying to tell you this morning," Miyagi patiently explained after taking a deep drag. "Mating and taking a mate, while sometimes related for most hybrids, are actually two very different things. And…" Miyagi added his voice heavy with remorse, "what we were doing, my poor dear Shinobu-chin, was making a terrible mistake."

_Over and over and over again_.

"You're wrong, Miyagi!" Shinobu shouted. Fat teardrops had started to tumble down his smooth cheeks; they dripped off his sharp chin and stained the paper sack clutched in his hands. "I don't believe you! It wasn't a mistake. It was FATE!"

"Look now, Shinobu, enough of that talk!" Miyagi's own voice rose to match Shinobu's; he wanted this discussion to end.

Miyagi used his cigarette almost like a pointer to drive his next statement home. "Risako has told me I'm to take you to a kennel until Dean Takatsuki can pick you up on Monday. You're going and that's final! No more of this 'fate' talk."

"But it is FATE, Miyagi, and you're an idiot and an ass not to see it!" Shinobu yelled.

Shinobu stood up off the couch, his ears twitched madly and his golden tail whipped back and forth as he confronted the big seme tom. "I might be the kitten in this conversation but I think we both know who is being immature here!"

With that Shinobu threw the bag he'd been holding at Miyagi, hitting the big neko square in the chest, and bolted out of the office.

Miyagi sighed deeply as he pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand.

_Stupid kitten, can't he see that I said those things for his well-being. It's no good for him being stuck with an old tom like me. Someday he'll see that._

The noir neko stubbed out his barely started cigarette. He picked the bag up that had fallen into his lap as he rose from his chair and stuck it in his pocket as he pulled on his coat.

Miyagi headed for the door. Knowing the kitten's propensity for running away, he had to catch Shinobu before he got too far. It was going to be bad enough when Risako and her father learned that he had fucked their ward. Miyagi couldn't risk losing the little cat on top of that too.

* * *

><p>Hiroki was nearing the south gate. He didn't want to keep his partner… uh…owner waiting. He scanned the courtyard and didn't see Nowaki yet. He sighed with relief. The only other individuals he even saw at all were two young nekos having an animated discussion.<p>

As the Kamijou cat drew closer, he saw that one of the young cats was Sumi Keiichi. The white blond neko had taupe ears, with a dark brown trim. The Sumi cats had a distinctly Siamese flair that made them appear to some as a bit shady. Hiroki had Sumi in one of his classes and the younger neko always looked like he was scheming about something. It made him uneasy.

Hiroki was shocked when he recognized the other neko that Sumi was talking to as Akihiko's Takahashi, Misaki. He'd known that the young hybrid was supposed to be going to M, but their paths, fortunately, had never crossed here before today.

Hiroki saw Misaki stiffen at the sight of him and suddenly felt bad.

It wasn't as if any of what had happened between he and Akihiko was Misaki's fault. The poor kit didn't have any say in whether or not Akihiko bought him. While some neko breeders did allow their hybrids a chance to decide whether or not they would go with a prospective owner, most, including Misaki's, were not that progressive.

Actually, given the way things were now turning out for Hiroki, the cinnamon neko realized uneasily, he should probably actually be thanking the younger male.

If the grounds had been more populated, or the two nekos had not made eye contact, Hiroki would have most likely just pretended not to have seen Misaki. As it was now, after the embarrassing episode from the previous day, for the sake of politeness, if Misaki addressed him, he knew he should acknowledge Akihiko's new pet.

On the plus side, Hiroki thought this might present the opportunity for him to ask Misaki if there was any way he could get the knit cap back that he'd left behind on Tuesday. It wasn't as if the cap was expensive, but as Nowaki had gotten it for him; he was reluctant just to count it as lost.

"Good afternoon, Professor Kamijou," Misaki and Sumi chimed in unison, bowing as Hiroki drew nearer. Sumi's tone, however, Hiroki decided, sounded just a bit smug. Self-consciously he put his hand up to his stitched ear.

"Good afternoon, Sumi -kun, Takahashi-kun." Hiroki nodded, greeting the two younger nekos.

"How are you doing, Takahashi-kun?" Hiroki inquired of Misaki, ignoring the kitten's senpai. He hoped his tone sounded congenial. It was not a way of speaking he'd ever adequately mastered.

"I'm fine, thank you, Professor Kamijou," Misaki said hesitantly, a soft blush crept up into his cheeks. Hiroki hoped that Tuesday had not made life harder for Misaki, especially after his own lot had become so vastly improved.

As if sensing his concern, Misaki stammered, "a… actually things for me are much better in fact." Misaki's huge green eyes lost some of their nervousness. "And how is Kusama-san?"

Now it was Hiroki's turn to blush. "Well, you may ask him yourself if you hang about here much longer. He's supposed to be meeting me here any minute."

"It would be lovely to see him again," Misaki offered sincerely. "I hope I have a chance to say hello before Usagi-san comes to pick me up."

"You know, Takahashi," A note of devilishness had suddenly crept into Hiroki's voice: he had not forgiven Akihiko for his earlier antics. "Given my experience, I might be able to give you some tips on how to manage that, erm…" Hiroki glanced up and noted that Sumi was watching his exchange with Misaki with great interest. "That is to say, Misaki-kun, I could offer you some advice on how to take care of that _rabbit_ of yours… If you're interested."

Misaki's blinked in disbelief. "Really?" _Could it be possible_ _that Kamijou-san is no longer angry with me?_ Hope suddenly swelled within Misaki's thin chest.

"Thank you, Kamijou-sensei. Wahhhh, that would be great!"

"Well, Takahashi-kun," Hiroki began, since Nowaki had still not yet appeared. "We should arrange sometime later to meet and discuss things…"

The two hybrids were so engaged in their conversation and Sumi, so intent on eavesdropping, none of them noticed the white van parked across the street pull out and start moving slowly towards them.

* * *

><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**Oh no! What's going to happen now?**

**Seriously, can I tell you how cool all you people are? I swear I have the best readers in all of fan fiction. Thank you for being so good about my little confession yesterday. Those of you who follow Cerberus will now know why I haven't been updating those fics quite as frequently lately…. But I will….**

**Hope everyone on the Eastern US is still doing okay as the storm continues to move through. Those of you who have been keeping us posted… so glad to know you are all doing well so far.**

**Avery- so glad you're back with us. I missed your lovely presence over the weekend. Seriously, guy… the withdrawal symptoms weren't pretty.**

**FreshPrinceLover- glad to have you back as well. I think Reficular was using artistic license. When I say paws I mean it figuratively. 'Cause paws have claws and as you said…you know, makes things difficult. You might try the "Uke Flu," if you haven't already. I am trying very hard to keep the yaoi boys, male in that fic. It's supposed to be an anti-MPREG, MPREG if that makes sense. Any advice would be appreciated.**

**Ichigo Kousei- glad you are safe. The hypothetical thing is a riff off the manga where Miyagi is talking Hiroki about his situation with Shinobu and Hiroki thinks Miyagi is having an issue with Hiroki being gay.**

**ASTROZOMBIE8- good to hear from you! I don't care if you only review terrorist, just as long as you review.**

**Teabags- love your comments as always. Oh, and I read the start of your new fic today… I am very intrigued. I hope to review it a bit later. Also, what happened with the second chapter of the fic? I got the link, but couldn't click through.**

**Yaoifangirl4ever- is that yaoi tolerating boyfriend of yours giving you grief? How uncalled for. Well, whatever the romantic disturbances, I hope that the stories distract a bit from your distress. Though is it wrong of me to say how much I am loving these longer reviews of yours? And that they're coming from your phone…way impressive!**

**Midnight Reader- what an awesome review! I am so glad you are pleased. And thank you so much for the shout out on the Spatula Test. I really enjoyed writing that fic. It was only the second one I'd done I think and it started out as a one shot. Twenty one chapters and two addendum later… well. **

**And I patterned Hiroki's mom after my own: incredibly naïve and incredibly supportive. I came out to her not long after writing that fic as a matter of fact, it was a bit prophetic.**

**What caused me to start another account? Well, for one, I am all about dwelling in dualities, M/F, dark/light, hard/soft. Anyway, I see Cerberus as the light-sweet although a bit angsty and I wanted someplace to explore the darker-rougher part of myself (both of them are terribly naughty though, I must say. Man, I am a pervert). Though I have to say…I just can't seem to shake that stupid sappiness. It pokes its way in at the most inopportune times. Plus, when I first started this fic I was like, would Cerberus write a neko story…uh no. But then that was what I thought about the MPREG and the Gender Bender too, so I guess I should just embrace my continual transgression of boundaries, both in the physical and fictional worlds, neh?**

**p.s. Thank you for the personal poet line…it really made me smile.**

**Egoistfangirl- you seriously have no idea how much I am crushing on you right now! You are like the world's super reviewer. (I reread reviews sometimes (okay, a lot)- how bad does that sound? But they make me so happy!) Can you access deviant art . com, because I want to draw you your own beanied Hiroki. Twenty one chapters at a single sitting? You go, girl! I have to say your revelations about relating to Miyagi, just hurt my heart. Where the hell is your Nowaki. I will try and entice the universe to send him to you. **

**Also, I am so glad you love Teen Hiroki. When YFG4E asked me to do it, I was like…writing Het…(no offense but) nuh uh. But I have to say, I am loving writing that fic. I like to think of fanfiction writing like playing jazz. It's like a literary riff on a piece that already exists. I think the story has great flow and the word I want to say when I think of it is "lush." I think it is the most resolved in some ways of all my fics and I am so loving playing off the canon. I wish more readers would check it out as it still has some MM action. It is frustrating to get so few reviews on it. When I write it, I seriously just think of Hiroki in a dress. (Okay, so I did give him boobs, but you'll note they are small!) Oh, and a spoiler- there will be no het. sex lemons between K.H. and K.N. Not up for that yet. Maybe if I can find the balls/ovaries to do it there will be a sequel later that follows them a few years after…**

**p. s. and as for the lost lemon reviews..."research" is what we call it.**

**p.s. p.s. And I am glad I could meet your fangirl dreams with Hiroki's realizations. The confession—well, keep reading. I know you will.**

**p.s. p.s. p.s. If you had an account I could answer your review questions individually (otherwise, where am I going to post comments for twenty+reviews?)**

**Moonlight at Dusk- See what you've done? Glad you like it.**

**Lastbloom- glad you're back!**

**Midoritenchi90-I luvs you tooo!**

**Lillemmi- check them out and drop a review to let me know what you think.**

**xMoymoy- Homie, I love it when you write… you are so totally Shinobu (sharp, smart, direct, know what you want and don't settle for anything less). Can we just make Shinobu an adjective? We'll have to ask X( ) when X returns. Lots more Terrorist coming up so I'll be expecting to hear from you again soon.**

**Madame Masquerade 64- I love that I can make you laugh! Your reviews make me laugh too (always in a good way!)!**

**Sweet Sonia- so glad you like the work hope to hear from you more!**


	55. Van: Tsumori, Ego, Terro, Romantica

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Fifty-Five: Van**

* * *

><p>The knackers had been sitting in their van across from the south entrance of the campus for some time. Ren was in the driver's seat and Jun was in the seat next to him. Tsumori was sitting on the floor, resting in between the larger knacker's knees. Not even two minutes ago he'd just finished giving Jun yet another blowjob. It seemed to Tsumori as though the huge man was developing a pronounced addiction to feline fellatio.<p>

Tsumori's hand bypassed his still wet, spit-slicked chin, and his fingers moved up to touch the swollen flesh around his blackened right eye tentatively. Though he really didn't enjoy sucking Jun off, still, he thought, where he currently sat was the safest place for him.

Things had not been going well with the knackers over the last few days. The two men had been constantly fighting: first over their retention of Tsumori and secondly, over how to proceed with the cat-napping.

In fact, today, the two men almost looked about as wear-worn as Tsumori.

Last night after Ren had given the new-neko the black eye Tsumori now sported, the two men had gotten into a knockdown, drag-out brawl. Now Ren had an eye that matched the human hybrid's, as well as a number of other bruises and lacerations. Jun had a badly split lip and, likewise, was bearing more than a few wounds of his own.

Jun had won though, as it seemed was the case than not more often whether the altercation was physical or verbal. At least, this was what Tsumori had observed in the time he'd been with them. In a fistfight, Jun's size gave him an unfair advantage, though Ren had gotten in more than a few good shots last night. And what Ren lacked in size, as the blond neko knew only too well, the smaller man made up in viciousness.

Per Jun's orders, they had continued to wait to move on Hiroki and they had, for better or worse, also kept Tsumori with them. The blond neko knew Jun had had him just go down on him while they waited to show Ren, once again, who was really in charge.

Anger was radiating in waves off the smaller knacker now, though Ren said nothing.

"Good, neko-chan," Jun clucked, chucking Tsumori under his wet chin. "Go sit in the back now, okay, Mori-chan." The large man shifted his legs so that Tsumori could slip out. Tsumori hesitated because it meant he would have to move past Ren, close enough that the weasel could get him if he suddenly lashed out.

That was what had happened with his eye last night. Jun had called him over to sit at his feet where he was reclining on the couch and Tsumori had made the mistake of passing too closely to Ren on his way there.

After another moment, despite his trepidation, Tsumori obeyed.

The human hybrid really didn't want to go into the back of the van. The knackers, once they had been assured Hiroki was on campus and was back, and adhering more or less to the schedule Tsumori had provided them with, had left the University midday to check their traps. They had done this for the last few days as well.

Tonight was the night that the big hybrid shipment to China was planned to go down and Ren and Jun. despite their present differences both wanted to cash in on this opportunity as much as possible.

There had been four nekos in their snares today. One was a very young kit, probably no more than four of five, a female. How it was that her parents had not come looking for her before the knackers came to empty their traps was beyond Tsumori. She was currently sitting on the lap of one of the older bound hybrids and had been sobbing off and on over the course of the afternoon despite Ren's warnings. Thankfully at the moment, she had finally cried herself to sleep.

The older nekos had been surprisingly quiet. This had been the trend the last few days. It turned out having Tsumori in the van, in his present condition, was a good enough warning to the other captive catpeople to behave. It bothered Tsumori that he had even caught pitying glances form the bound nekos being shot his way through the grate that separated him from the pure hybrids.

"Look, there he is!" Ren said, setting aside his anger for a moment and actually sounding excited. "And that giant owner of his is nowhere to be seen."

"Things are really quiet too. There will hardly be any witnesses. Let's jump on this now. This is what we've been waiting for! Who knows when we'll have a chance like this again?" Jun added.

"What about those other two nekos he's talking with?" Ren's eyes narrowed as he watched the trio talking near the gate.

"Mori-chan, hand me that drop net." Jun indicated a pile of ropes, sitting on the floor in the back of the van. "Yes, that thing there."

Tsumori retrieved it and handed awkwardly over to the big knacker.

"Now lock your leash to the tie down, I don't want you trying to get out of the car if things get exciting." Jun winked at his new-neko.

It was like the man had read his mind. Tsumori exhaled a silent sigh and clipped his leash to one of the rings welded onto the wall of the van. Reluctantly he flipped the lock over.

"Good boy."

Jun turned back to the weasely Ren. "Look, I'm going to hop out walk alongside the van until we get close. Then you pull up and distract them, while I come up from behind and throw the net."

Jun's small eyes glinted with excitement. "I say we try and grab the three of them if we can. We can just drop the other two at the warehouse with what we already have. It'll bring us a few extra bucks. I mean, none of them are very big, so I think I should be able to handle them pretty easily."

Ren nodded, happy to at last again be in agreement with his partner on something. "Sounds good, let's go," The weasel was glad after these last few days of interminable waiting to finally be moving into action. He started the van's quiet engine. As Jun slipped out the passenger door, Ren pulled the vehicle into the street and headed towards the Hiroki and the two younger nekos.

* * *

><p>Shinobu had run quickly through the corridors of M's humanities' building. He burst out of the doors and on to the empty grounds.<p>

The poor kitten could hardly see, he was crying so hard. _"Why won't that big bastard, Miyagi, just come clean and admit that he loves me?"_

Shinobu didn't know where in the hell he was going to go now. There was no way he was going to a kennel, that was as bad as the pound and he hated Dean Takatsuki and Risako.

All Shinobu knew in this moment was that his heart was breaking and that he needed to get away. Maybe he would go to the park again. That had always been a pretty good place to hide all the other times he'd run away, as long as he was wary of ferals.

The kitten wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt. As he neared the entrance of the campus he saw the Kamijou cat. The professor was talking with a couple of older kittens.

Shinobu sniffed. He could see the cinnamon neko's shaved ear, twitching as Hiroki talked. Shinobu's ears sorrow-stooped ears flattened further. He really did feel kind of bad for what he had done. He'd been bitten by another kitten in a fight once at the group home and it had hurt like crazy.

Despite how upset he was, the caramel kitten decided he would take this chance to apologize to Kamijou-san. It wasn't likely after what Miyagi had said to him back in the office that the big tom even cared enough to bother coming after him.

_Besides, maybe if I say I'm sorry_, Shinobu thought, _after I'm gone, Kamijou-san might even mention it to Miyagi and he would know that I really can be a good neko. Apologizing unprompted would be the "mature" thing to do too, right?_

_"Arrgggh… why do I even care what Miyagi thinks?"_ Shinobu fumed. The big cat had made it perfectly clear that he didn't want him. Then the Takatsuki kitten remembered the whole imprinting/mating for life thing.

_Does that mean that I'll never be able to stop thinking about Miyagi? _

_Forever? _

_"_Stupid old Tom!" Shinobu muttered under his breath, trying to use the words to drive away the new tears that threatened his eyes.

* * *

><p>Standing at the gate, talking with Hiroki, Misaki was surprised to discover how funny Kamijou-san could actually be. The funniest part was that the Kamijou cat really had no idea of when he was actually being funny. Hiroki had just given Misaki a particularly interesting idea about one way of dealing with Usagi-san. It tickled the chocolate hybrid so much Misaki's laughter shook him all the way down to the tip of his tail.<p>

This stopped rather abruptly, however when he saw another neko hybrid approaching them. It was a kitten. The little male was blushing fiercely and it was obvious he had been crying.

Sensitive as he was, from where he stood, Misaki could feel the waves of heartbreak rolling off the other neko already.

"Kamijou-sensei," Shinobu sniffed as he drew near.

Hiroki turned and was startled to see Shinobu. He was even more taken aback, however, by how miserable the kitten looked.

"Takatsuki-kun?"

Hiroki clearly remembered all the trouble Shinobu had caused him, but the little hybrid looked so troubled in that instant, all the fury that Hiroki had been harboring against the blond troublemaker evaporated and was immediately replaced by concern.

_Did something happen to Miyagi? _

"Is everything okay with Miyagi-Sensei, Takatsuki-kun?" That was only explanation that Hiroki could come up with to explain Shinobu's state.

The question took Shinobu by surprise and resulted in a sudden burst of tears, rather than the apology he'd intended.

Misaki stepped immediately up, offering Shinobu a "The Kan" printed handkerchief. He carried it around with him, but had ever used it, as it seemed somehow blasphemous to blow his nose on the manga character he idolized, but the gray-eyed kitten obviously needed it.

"Here. Take this," Misaki said helpfully.

"Thanks you, nii-san," Shinobu sniffled as he took it, blushing even more. He was terribly embarrassed to be crying so publicly.

That was when all hell broke loose.

"Watch out!"

Sumi, who had been silent through this whole episode, suddenly cried out in alarm. The Siamese simulation had been standing off to the side, watching all the dramatics with keen interest, when he suddenly saw the white van pull up fast and jump the curb next to them.

It was only because Sumi was slightly removed, that the net Jun threw over the other three just barely missed him.

"What in the hell?" Hiroki yelled as the other two uke nekos started thrashing frantically, trying to get free. The trouble was, the more they struggled the more tangled they got. Soon they were all but immobilized by the ropes surrounding them.

"What's going on?" Misaki cried as the big knacker pulled the drawstrings on the edge of the snare, forcing the three netted nekos closer together.

"Miyagi!" Shinobu shouted.

The three netted nekos were all rather slight, so the big goon, Jun, had little difficulty hauling them in. He opened the back door of the van. The newly captured nekos were momentarily stunned into silence when they saw the other bound hybrids already in the back of the van.

The rough motion and fast stop of the vehicle had jarred the littlest hybrid awake. The tiny female kitten was now wailing again and this didn't help the situation at all.

"Get in there," Jun barked at the hybrid trio, half picking up and half shoving the ensnared nekos into the van.

"Sumi-kun, call the cops and get help!" Hiroki shouted out after Sumi who quickly scrambled away, lest the big knacker decided to come after him too.

The back doors slammed closed, cutting off his frantic plea. Jun ran around to the front, surprisingly quick for a man his size, and hopped in.

Sumi had stopped running as soon as he realized whoever it was in the van was not coming after him. He ran back to the empty street pulling out his phone to call the police as he watched the knackers speed away. He tried to read the license plate on the van, but the two crooks had been at least smart enough to obscure it with mud.

The traumatized college cat had just gotten through to emergency dispatch when he saw a breathless Miyagi running up the walk towards him.

* * *

><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**I promised you drama, didn't I… I am so mean… What happens next? I know that many of you wish to live in lemon land, but we're not there yet...**

**Ichigo-Kousei- My darling, how I love your idea of the rainbow van, but alas as you will have read, that was not to be so.**

**Demoncooki8D- I believe this is the first I have heard from you. Welcome to the Neko-Hiro club. I am so glad you are enjoying the fic, though I am sorry I could not grant your request. (If I did what would happen to the rest of my story?) Glad to see today's chapter did not prevent you from favoriting however.**

**xMoymoy- I meant every word and thanks as always for the great review! I saw you posted an update to a JR fic of your own today. I will definitely be checking that out! And as you can see, there is a neko uke swirl going on, so Shinobu will be engaged in the action significantly for a while.**

**Kiyo12- Your creeper alert was right. Glad you are enjoying the fic so much.**

**FreshPrinceLover- You were right and thanks for the catch up reviews.**

**AS7R0Z0MB13- are you different from ASTROZOMBIE8? Either way, thanks for the shout.**

**Teabags- I read your review today for this chap before posting this and laughed out loud. You kill me. I should be sending you a review of your new fic before I trundle off to bed for the night. So glad I was able to shock you.**

**p.s. I like your digressions.**

**Yaoifangirl4ever- now you have the answer to your question and glad you're trying the MPREG, even if it makes you uncomfortable. And Egoistfangirl asked me to extend you her deepest thanks for being the prompt for Teen Hiroki. You have mine as well.**

**Lillemmi- rolling on!**

**Egoistfangirl- I understand entirely what you are saying about Nowaki. Personally, I think celibacy is way underrated. I have found that it is during those periods in my life, when I haven't been involved in a relationship or the pursuit of one, when I have created my best bodies of work: a redirection of energies, if you will. Hmmmm, what does that say about me at the moment, fifty five chapters into this crazy story with like ten others in process… I let you make your own assumptions.**

**Thanks for the reaffirmation of T.H. and I passed your thanks on. Now I am all intrigued by the ideas you said were percolating in your brain… Come on, spill them…**

**So, I think Miyagi is quite obvious in his homosexuality, he alludes to it in discussing his marriage in the series, he totally is asking Hiroki if he has a girlfriend and purposely tries to get rid of Nowaki, even before Nowaki shows up at the school. He is so totally hooked on Hiro-san. (Who wouldn't be, I wish I had an officemate like that).**

**When I say paws, I mean that figuratively, not literally.**

**Loved your Citrus review and sorry I haven't posted for T.H. yet, that muse has been evading me.**

**Avery- sorry Nowaki didn't show up in time, but that just means that the story gets to keep going… Right.**

**Madame Masquerade 64 and Midoritenchi90- thanks for the shouts. You are wonderful! **


	56. Napped: Egoist, Romantica, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Fifty-Six: Napped**

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><p>Miyagi had headed out onto the empty University grounds looking for the runaway Takatsuki kitten, not knowing which way Shinobu had gone at first. Fortunately, Shinobu still had the barest trace of his heat scent, and Miyagi, after being so intimately immersed in it recognized the trail relatively quickly.<p>

As much as he was fighting his deep feelings for Shinobu, there was still a few things about the Takatsuki cat that the old tom didn't know. One was that the pills prescribed for Shinobu weren't just for the kitten's protection; they were for the benefit of other nekos too. Because Takatsukis mated for life and there was always the risk of cross-pairing with another breed, nature had endowed Shinobu's line with some protection for their long-loving hearts.

The first heat scent of a Takatsuki carried a special charge that also actually incited the imprinting of their mating partner. The same was true of the neko's bodily secretions too: sweat, saliva, sperm. And Miyagi had been licking up those substances in significant quantities for days. So whether he wanted to or not, there was no easy way now for the noir neko to easily get that kitten out of his system.

Miyagi's large ears likewise immediately picked up Shinobu cry for help though he was still some distance away. The distress in the small hybrid's voice pierced him and sent him running. Due to his unfortunate smoking habit however, by the time the professor reached Sumi, Miyagi was practically breathless.

He could hear Sumi saying into his phone, "Yes, I'm calling to report a neko-napping that just took place outside the South Entrance at 'M' University. Two men in a white van just pulled up and stole three nekos right off the street and headed south. They tried to take me too!"

Sumi rolled his eyes in disgust and angrily twitched his taupe-tipped tail as he snapped his phone shut when the operator told him that neko-napping was really an issue for animal control and he should call there instead of tying up the lines of human emergency services.

"Miyagi-sensei," Sumi said to the panting neko. "They took Takahashi Misaki and Kamijou-sensei and some other little blonde neko too." The simulated Siamese, still in shock from almost being snatched himself, for once had lost his scheming look.

"Miyagi-san, are you okay?"

The professorial hybrid heard a familiar voice drawing nearer. He looked over and saw Hiroki's lanky owner hurrying up the walk towards him.

Nowaki had been running late. As it was a Friday, the place that he'd stopped to pick up Hiroki's gift was incredibly busy, everyone trying to take care of business before the weekend. This had made him much later than he'd intended to be.

He'd been coming up to the South gate when he saw Miyagi standing there, well, not exactly standing. The noir neko was bent over, his hands gripping his pants at the knees and breathing very hard. The sight had immediately kicked in Nowaki's medical instincts.

"I have to quit smoking," Miyagi gasped. "Sumi-kun, tell Kusama-san what happened."

"Two men in a white van pulled up and netted the other nekos. They took Kamijou-sensei and Takahashi Misaki," Sumi repeated.

"They have Shinobu too," Miyagi said. He'd finally recovered enough to stand up straight again.

"What?" Nowaki's jaw dropped open in disbelief at the same time his stomach dropped as well. The mention of a white van gave the tall man a very bad feeling. "You said two men? You saw them?" Nowaki asked Sumi.

"Yes, a great big one, tall, but not as tall as you and a really muscular looking threw a net over them and shoved them in the van. He almost caught me too," Sumi shivered involuntarily at his close call. "The guy driving was very short and kind of wiry. He had a real weasely face and a black eye. The big guy looked kind of beat up too."

Sumi's sly eyes closed as he tried to remember as much as he could. "It sounded like there were other nekos in the van. One of them was really crying. It sounded like a really young kit."

Nowaki's worst fears were confirmed. He knew it had to be the knackers. But what in the hell did they want with Hiroki and the other nekos? Nowaki looked at Miyagi. "Miyagi-san, I'm pretty sure that the men who took Hiro-san and the kittens were knackers. We need to call the police!"

Miyagi's eyes widened with alarm at Nowaki's assertion. Then he said, disgustedly, "Sumi tried them already and they said it was a matter for animal control."

Nowaki's face grew dark at the injustice of what Miyagi told him.

"Sumi," Miyagi said, looking very grave, "I left my phone with all my contacts in my office, so you need to go to Dean Takatsuki's office and tell his secretary what happened. Shinobu, the other neko taken, belongs to his daughter. Have the secretary call Dean Takatsuki and his daughter, Risako. Maybe he can get the police to help us."

"We have to do something, Miyagi-san!" Nowaki the anger and worry over the situation spilled over into his voice, though he was trying to maintain an appearance of calm. "We have to try and find them!"

"I know, but what and how?" Miyagi was just as concerned as Kusama over the "fate" of Shinobu and the other two uke nekos. "My car is parked all the way across campus and they already have a head start." Miyagi was frustrated as with every moment that passed the knackers were getting father away.

As if in answer to his question, a bright red sports car pulled up to the curb right outside the gate and Akihiko stepped out of the car.

"Sumi!" Akihiko shouted as he emerged.

Aikawa had kept him later than he expected and he was already angry about that, but arriving to find no Misaki made him even madder. The author did not care that he was being terribly rude to the younger neko.

"Where's Misaki?" He said as he walked around to the front of his car. "He said he would be with you and I told him to wait here for me!"

Then Akihiko glanced over and recognized Nowaki. "What are you doing here?" Akihiko growled. _Plotting to sweep my other neko away too?_

Miyagi looked at Nowaki with confusion. The tall man just shook his head as he looked back. Then the two semes simultaneously smiled grimly at each other, nodded, and started moving together towards Akihiko's car.

"What on the hell do you think you're doing?" The incensed author demanded as Miyagi opened the passenger side door and slipped into the back seat.

"Usami-san," Nowaki said, trying to sound calm. "There were some men; I think they were after Hiro-sa… I mean Kamijou-san. They took him and they grabbed Misaki-kun and Miyagi-san's kitten, Shinobu-kun, too. We have to try and find them! I think they were knackers."

Miyagi did not bother to correct Nowaki when the young intern called Shinobu his kitten. "They threw the three of them in a white van and drove south. Every minute you stand around acting pissed off they are getting further away." He growled from the back seat.

Akihiko's expression suddenly changed, alarm immediately replaced his anger. "Get in, Kusama," Akihiko moved back around to the driver's side. He paused for a moment before getting in himself: the Sumi cat was staring at him in the most disconcerting way.

"Sumi, get your ass to the Dean's secretary like I said!" Miyagi yelled, just before Nowaki closed the door.

The Sumi neko watched Akihiko climb back into his car with a slyly dreamy look on his face and then turned and started moving quickly towards the Dean's office.

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><p><strong>Old AN<strong>

**Once again, posting on my lunch break and will add in the shout outs later. I have been loving all the reviews… So here we go and the drama continues….**


	57. Chase: Egoist, Romantica, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Fifty-Seven: Chase**

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><p>As Akihiko headed his car south the trio did not get far from campus before the traffic began to slowdown. It was Friday and heading into rush hour after all.<p>

Nowaki constantly scanned the vehicles around them looking for a white van. It was very difficult not really knowing how far ahead of them the knackers had gotten.

Miyagi, in his worry over Shinobu, was getting increasingly tense in the back.

Akihiko, however, seemed relatively cool. The only noticeable tic belying his anxiety was that he kept repeatedly glancing at his watch. He'd started fiddling with the time piece as soon as they'd gotten into the vehicle.

The author's preoccupation with this was annoying the hell out of Miyagi. Finally the big cat snapped. "What the hell, Usami? Is trying to rescue our ukes keeping you from some other important engagement?"

Akihiko's cool eyes regarded Miyagi in the rear-view mirror for a moment. As they were currently stopped by the gridlock, he sliiped off his watch and turned around, showing the huffy hybrid the display on its glowing face. There was a little map and a blinking cat head that was moving along it that said "Misa-kittty" next to it.

"This is a GPS. As long as Misaki has his collar on, I can track him with this within a hundred miles," Akihiko explained. "So I'm not too worried yet, they're not that far away from us at this point." This was not the entire truth. Akihiko was terribly worried, any number of things could be happening to his Misaki in the back of that van.

He turned back and handed his watch to Nowaki. "Kusama, you hold on to this and tell me which way to turn." Akihiko had been about to ask Nowaki to "tell him where to go," but he amended that out of concern for how tall man might respond given the earlier events of the week.

"Wow." Miyagi was more than a little impressed and grateful for Akihiko's advanced feline tracking technology. "That's pretty high tech." Miyagi's tone was apologetic. It made him more than a little crazy, however, to see the little cat face keep advancing, knowing that this was where the small Shinobu kit was and that at the moment he was completely helpless to aid him.

"Yeah, well, I was foolish enough to lose one good uke neko and I certainly don't ever intend for that to happen again!" Akihiko glanced uncomfortably over at Nowaki as he said this.

Nowaki just pretended he hadn't heard what Akihiko had said and responded instead, "Um... Usami-san, the traffic has started moving again."

Miyagi leaned back in the seat while Akihiko drove on guided by Nowaki. The old tom thought about what Akihiko had said about losing one good uke neko.

_"Foolish, huh? Yeah, that sounds about right,"_ Miyagi's large tufted ears drooped. _"Shinobu wouldn't even be in this fucking mess to begin with if I hadn't been such an ass."_

Miyagi stuck his hands resignedly in to the pockets of his coat as he watched the two human semes working together in the front. It was obvious that neither one really cared for the other.

In his pocket Miyagi's fingers brushed against something that crinkled. Puzzled, he pulled it out and realized it was the bag that Shinobu had been clutching so dearly back when they'd been talking in his office. In all the excitement, Miyagi had completely forgotten about it. His tail gave a curious swish.

As he was part cat, and cats are curious creatures after all, against his better judgment, Miyagi carefully opened the bag and peeked in. It was very light and it didn't seem like there was hardly anything in it.

The old tom tipped the sack into one of his large paws and a glossy, black, powder-coated chain slid out into his hand. Miyagi held the chain up in front of him and looked at it closely. He felt a sudden terrible pang in his chest.

It was a rather contemporary collar, and it sported a gray stone pendant that was the same color as Shinobu's eyes. The front the stone had been engraved and it read:

_Miyagi-Takatsuki Yoh_

And beneath that:

_FATE_

Turning it over and looking at the back Miyagi saw that this too had been inscribed and it stated rather simply:

_If found drunk or misbehaving_

_please return to_

_Takatsuki-Miyagi Shinobu_

Underneath this was the address of Miyagi's apartment.

"That little pecker was going to try and propose to me," Miyagi muttered under his breath. He shook his shaggy black head and smiled in sad wonder at the balls of his little Takatsuki.

Then as he thought about how cruel he'd been to Shinobu in his office, Miyagi felt doubly condemned. He slipped the collar gently back into the bag and returned it to his pocket. He didn't deserve anything as wonderful and wasn't sure if he was really ready for anything as troublesome as that precocious brat, but Miyagi knew in that instant, regardless, he would do whatever it took to get Shinobu back.

Up in the front, Nowaki was watching the roads anxiously. They were slowly leaving the central part of the city and heading into a less populated area. As they proceeded to follow Misaki's blinking beacon, they were moving into rougher section of Tokyo: much more industrial. As Akihiko's car continued to make progress, Nowaki's anxiety steadily mounted.

_What is happening to my Hiro-san? Are they hurting him again?_

The young intern was beside himself thinking that Hiroki might be suffering some new and horrible pain.

_Kami-sama, hasn't my poor pet… erm…partner been through enough already?_ Nowaki, once again, would have made any bargain to ensure Hiro-san would escape this ordeal safe and unharmed.

Nowaki had never been one to dwell on issues of fairness. In his life as an orphan, he'd realized early on if he did, it would have only driven him into either bitterness or despair.

But given the current state of things, he allowed himself, just this one time, for a few minutes to really feel pissed off about how unjust this all felt to him. Everything had been going so well and things had, for a moment, offered the hope they might even get better.

Nowaki had been waiting his whole life to find someone to love, to be a part of a real family, and had at long last had finally found that in Hiro-san and now it seemed that the universe was trying to take it all back again.

Nowaki decided he'd indulged long enough. It was time to put his negative thoughts away and put his focus back on the matter at hand, which was saving his Hiro-san.

As if to reassure himself, he patted the breast pocket of his coat where his gift for Hiro-san was safely tucked. He had to believe that everything was going to work out somehow and that he'd soon be able to give this to his love and have his feisty cinnamon hybrid back in his arms again.

"Can't you go any faster, Usami-san?" Nowaki asked impatiently.

As Akihiko had been intently focused on the road, keeping his keen lavender eyes on the lookout for the knackers' vehicle, he had been thinking about something very important: having a cigarette…

But also he'd been thinking about how much he'd undervalued Misaki and what a huge hole in his life there would be now if anything happened to take the slim chocolate neko away from him.

Who else would force him to eat green peppers when he was bad, cut sausages into the shape of octopi for him, and put up with his constant need for rabid rabbit sex?

Akihiko knew that he was a sad bastard when it came to properly expressing his love, but he'd come to realize only just recently also that he really did love Misaki, deeply, if terribly.

He knew that he had a long way to go in proving this to Misaki, though he had made some small accommodations lately for the kitten that lit up his life, but he suddenly found himself promising to the gods that he would try even harder to be a better owner and more considerate lover if only he could get his Misa-kitty back.

Nowaki's question roused Akihiko from his thoughts. "I don't want us to just come upon them unexpectedly or have them discover that we're following them," he murmured in response. "Who knows what they might do to them if they felt threatened. They might decide to use our ukes as hostages."

"Oh," Nowaki said. It made sense.

"I've written enough chase scenes, I should know," the author added. In addition to his NL novels and his serious works, Akihiko also had another series of spy thrillers he wrote occasionally under yet another pen name.

No sooner had Akihiko uttered this than they rounded a corner and up ahead the van appeared, a small moving spot in the distance ahead, the cat-trafficker's warehouse looming behind.

As they got closer, the three semes came upon the knackers, just in time to see a heavily armed youth open a garage door allowing the cat-nappers' vehicle entrance.

Akihiko quickly pulled over and stopped his car a good ways from the building before they were noticed. A bit difficult to manage considering the red sports car was completely out of place in this environment, still the Usami luck thankfully held.

The three semes watched with increasing dismay as the van glided in, the doors were quickly slid closed behind it, and their beloved ukes were swallowed into the belly of the imposing structure.

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**So here's today's chapter a bit early. Sorry I missed last night's shout out as I got busy writing this, so I will do my makeup for the last two chapters here now.**

**X ( )- I know you are still gone, but hopefully you will find this on your return. You Have Been Dearly Missed.**

**PatraH- Thanks for the alert/favoriting. Hope to hear from you soon.**

**Yaoifangirl4ever- loving your increasingly verbal reviews. You rock! I'll pass your sentiments on to Egoistfangirl.**

**Avery- So glad you're back, even when it's only a day, I miss you. If you keep being so dear, I may have to put you in this fic. I know that it will be sad to see this end, but we still have a long way to go I think. Besides the one shot idea (which I like) remember we are living in the era of sequels. Though I so need to get back to Cerberus' fic. They have been a bit neglected of late.**

**FreshPrinceLover, Madame Masquerade 64, Kiyo12, MoonlightatDusk- your little notes always bring a smile to my face.**

**Midoritenchi90- good memory and nice to see how much attention you're paying to my details. Ha!**

**Midnight reader- your review yesterday just broke me up. And thank you for the amazing "Escort" review. I loved it. Oh, there's another bit for you further on, so don't stop reading here.**

**Ichigo Kousei- My sweet honey… How was it I missed what a Terrorist you were? Will my author's hands be cruel or kind to Shinobu… Oh, I am giddy with the power of it.**

**Lillemmi- I am expecting to hear a shout out from you on the Cerberus fics. Hope you're enjoying them! I like your cheerleading spirit!**

**Teabags- when I read your review from the day before yesterday, I laughed so hard… You're hiliarious. Also eagerly awaiting your next chapter.**

**Yaoilover796- Glad you're liking it. I just checked out your new fic yesterday. I think the idea of Hiroki and Akihiko fighting over Misaki has a lot of promise. (though will Nowaki be featured at all?) I also like that Hiroki appears a bit more tender than he is depicted in many fics. I'll leave a more proper review for you later and take a look at your other story, but keep writing.**

**xMoymoy- dawg, don't you mean cat? Heh Heh. What in the hell are you doing eating maple syrup over your keyboard? – That last line made me laugh so hard. So I started on your fic. You have some mad skills there, okay. Seriously. I knew in that first chap even before I got to the bottom of the page (way impressive length by the way) and saw your artist notes that you were writing from personal experience. The way you depicted it was too raw and too real to be otherwise. Man, that made it so poignant, and I am sure a lot of people who read it could relate. I know I did. Your depiction of Shinobu and Miyagi both are awesome. I can't wait to finish it and I promise I will leave you some real, proper reviews before I do.**

**Chiharu Moka- haven't heard from you in a bit…Oh the anger : ) Please don't kill me… It should all be okay in the end (right?)…**

**000LuvYaoi000- I have to say, I was very touched by your review and am so glad that you let me know your experience. I am happy that you have rediscovered the joy of (good) angst and feel both honored and flattered by your story. Happy you are here and hope you stay till the end. Drop another line then or in between if you're so inclined. I would love to hear from you again.**

**Demoncookie8D- Thanks for writing back! I am working on something for knacker payback now. So, as I am good at writing the suffering… **

**Egoistfangirl- I do love your rants! And thank you for the amazing "Escort" review. I am happy and sad that it moved you so deeply. I am sorry to be so mean with Hiroki, but I think it's only because I identify with him so much – his character gives me a place to put my own pain… Anyway… Just know that I think you'll be happy with the way T.H. ends up resolving itself, after all that you have said. **

**I know in these more action filled scenes there's not as much to comment on, but still somehow you manage to write these amazing and insightful reviews. I amazed by them and you- both are remarkable! I am thinking about what you said in terms of ideas for stories… Others ideas you have…please pass them on.**

**Midnight reader- loved the long review. All your questions will be answered and more. I too have never been fond of Risako (shows, doesn't it?). I am trying to come up with something for your Miyagi crush. And the one shot bar scene from "Escort" has now been put in my brain. I may try and pull it out sometime, but I guarantee it will be a bit painful. I loved your convergence theory: you are a science person, aren't you. **

**And as for your older sisters… So sad they don't know what they're missing. Not like anime… blasphemers… :) Glad you are keeping the faith, so to speak: fandom depends on it.**


	58. Shinoda: Egoist, Romantica, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Fifty-Eight: Shinoda**

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><p>"Oh for fuck's sake!" Hiroki exclaimed, despite his fear, after the door closed and the vehicle started moving. What was it going to take in this life for him to ever catch a break? At the moment he was mightily pissed at the universe, as well as being terrified.<p>

The addition of the new nekos brought momentary chaos to the back of the knackers' van. Misaki was silent, overwhelmed by the powerful emotions of all the vehicle's occupants swirling about him. Shinobu was fighting to hold back his sniffles. He didn't want the other hybrids to know how frightened he was. The tiny girl kit was still wailing and the bound neko whose lap she was sitting on was trying frantically to get her to calm down.

"You'd better shut that little bitch up, before I come back there and do it myself!" Ren yelled, turning around in the driver's seat to glare at the captive nekos.

As soon as the knackers' backs were turned, Misaki started squirming around.

"Takahashi," Hiroki growled, "Keep still, you're just going to make the ropes tighter if you struggle."

"I'm sorry, Kamijou-sensei, but I don't think so." Misaki, though terribly scared, respectfully disagreed. "If you'll just give me a minute, I think I can get myself loose." The small chocolate cat had spent the last several months learning to wiggle out of Akihiko's amorous embraces and compared to that the net seemed like kitten's play to him.

Sure enough, within a few minutes, Misaki was free.

The first thing he did was go over and start soothing the littlest neko. With his sweet demeanor, in less than a minute the wee kit had crawled off of the other hybrid's lap and into his arms. Misaki stroked her long blonde hair as she quietly sobbed into his shoulder.

"Thank you so much," the blond bound neko who'd been trying to care for her sighed.

Misaki's absence in the net had provided enough slack that now Shinobu and Hiroki could also untangle themselves. Hiroki had just pulled the net off from over his head, when the other neko had spoken.

_Hey, wait a minute, _Hiroki thought, _I know that voice._

"Shinoda?" Hiroki asked incredulously.

"Kamijou? Is that you?" The blond neko asked. "What in the hell happened to your ear?" the bound neko whispered as the professor emerged from the tangled ropes.

This question brought a slight hiccup from Shinobu's corner of the net.

"Long story," Hiroki grumbled, turning red.

Hiroki had met Shinoda years ago when he was first with Akihiko as the man's pet. Since the author said he didn't care if Hiroki fucked around, and as Akihiko wasn't willing, with the exception of that terrible one time, to make use of his uke pet himself, Hiroki had done what any other healthy, red-blooded male neko given his sexual freedom would have done: he'd embarked on a series of affairs.

He and Shinoda had actually spent quite a bit of time together for a while, until Shinoda had started asking him to run-away with him. Though physically involved with the suave blond neko, Hiroki had still been deeply in love with Akihiko at the time, and so had turned Shinoda down. Not long afterwards, the two males had parted ways.

"Is she yours?" Hiroki asked, ears perked, nodding in the direction of the tiny female who was now contentedly eating a "The Kan" candy bar that Misaki had pulled out of the backpack he'd been wearing.

"Oh, no," Shinoda said with a dismissive flick of his tail. "I'm sure I've got kittens around somewhere, but she's not one of them." The Shinoda breed had a reputation of swinging both ways.

"How did you get here?" Hiroki asked.

The last time he had seen the other male, Shinoda had belonged to a couple of exclusive real estate dealers and he had been assisting with their business, working on the clients' pets to convince them of the neko benefits of the properties being shown. Now however, looking at his tattered clothes and unkempt appearance, it looked to Hiroki like the previously snappy hybrid had fallen on some hard times.

"My owners lost everything when the real estate market crashed," Shinoda sighed and his ears drooped. "We ended up homeless and they abandoned me in the park. I'd been living there for months trying to find a new home, but the market is glutted with needy nekos right now. Soooo…" the handsome hybrid's voice trailed off as he was overcome by his reduced circumstances.

Shinoda shook his head to dispel such troubling thoughts. "Then I was stupid. I got careless and ended up caught in one of these assholes snares." His ears swiveled towards the driver's seat.

Hiroki peered through the grating at the backs of the men up in the front of the van. There was something familiar about them. They smelled familiar too. And it wasn't just them, there was something else… A cold bolt of fear pierced Hiroki's innards when he recognized the intermingled scents.

It was the knackers.

He would never forget the day that they had shown up at his old master's apartment. Nor for that matter did he think he would ever forget the smell of Tsumori.

Anxiously Hiroki peered through the mesh trying to locate his loathsome former owner, but all he saw was some sad leashed neko, sitting with its back to him. Its tail was tapping tensely. Hiroki recognized the heavy collar around the leashed neko's neck. Tsumori had made him wear a similar style and he knew how awfully it rubbed. His heart went out to the collared creature, the huddled hybrid looked considerably battered.

"What's with the neko out there?" Hiroki whispered. He thought his nose must be off because it did smell a lot like Tsumori.

"He belongs to them," Shinoda said softly back and then added even more quietly, "They're just awful to him, poor thing."

"What's going to happen to us? Where are we going?" Shinobu asked. The small caramel kitten had finally found his voice.

"China," one of the other captive nekos replied.

"Ch…China?" Shinobu stuttered.

"They've been talking about it all morning," Shinoda said. "We're all being taken someplace and shipped out tonight, except for one of you."

"Yeah," the third bound hybrid chimed in, "One of you they're going to hold for ransom."

Shinoda looked pointedly at Hiroki, "Apparently the neko is a professor and his owner is a rich famous author."

Hiroki looked over at Misaki, whose eyes had suddenly grown quite large.

"I don't belong to Akihiko any more," Hiroki said firmly, "I have a new owner now."

"Oh?" Shinoda, perked up considerably despite being bound.

"Yeah, well, I love him, so don't even go there, Shinoda," Hiroki muttered turning red.

"I don't recall that loving was ever the issue with you, Hiroki, it was being loved back," Shinoda said slyly.

"Well, this one loves me back, so drop it already," the cinnamon neko growled turning even redder. It was so humiliating to have this discussed in front of Misaki. Wait… Misaki…

"Takahashi," Hiroki turned to the chocolate neko holding the once again sleeping kitten. "Is that the same collar you had on Tuesday?"

"Yes," Misaki replied confused. "Why?"

"When Nowaki and I were there at the apartment that day, Akihiko told us that he'd put a tracking collar on you, so he could know where you were. He bragged that it could tell him your exact location within a hundred miles."

A sudden scowl crossed Misaki's sweet face. "That horny bunny bastard!" he exclaimed unexpectedly, causing the other nekos to jump. When the little hybrid in his lap started to stir, he immediately quieted down.

"What the fuck's going on back there?" Ren shouted from the front. "No talking!"

"No wonder he kept finding me these last few days," Misaki muttered under his breath. Then he shifted his huge green eyes over to Hiroki. "Do you think he might try and find me then?" Misaki asked the question in a barely audible voice. "I wouldn't want to inconvenience him." Though inside there was nothing Misaki had ever wanted more, outside of having his parents back.

"You're too much, Takahashi, I swear," Hiroki sighed. "If the ass is any kind of proper seme at all he'll come after you." _That's what Nowaki would do if he had any idea at all of how to find me._

Hiroki's talk of proper semes just reopened the rent in Shinobu's torn heart. "Screw this," Shinobu said. "We have to get out of here!" He slid over and started working to untie the ropes binding the neko closest to him. Despite every cruel thing that Miyagi had done to him, Shinobu discovered he still couldn't leave the old tom.

_Damn imprinting_. "I have to get back to Miyagi."

"If your seme is anything like mine," Shinobu looked at Misaki. "He couldn't save his own ass if it was on fire." Just because he couldn't leave the older neko didn't mean he couldn't still be royally pissed at him.

Hiroki found himself suddenly admiring the usually annoying caramel brat's spirit. It was true, he realized, there was no way in hell he was about to be taken away from Nowaki. He'd waited his whole life to find someone it was safe for him to love and who truly and deeply loved him back.

"Takatsuki's right," Hiroki said. "We're going to have to find some way to save ourselves, we're ukes, not princesses after all. We can be our own knights." He moved over and started working to free Shinoda.

"Mori-chan," Jun called from the front, he could still hear the captives murmuring, "I'm expecting you to keep an eye on our merchandise back there and make sure everyone is behaving. Go back and see what's going on."

_"Mori-chan?"_ Hiroki thought. He'd just finished freeing Shinoda who was gratefully rubbing his wrists. Shinobu was now working to release the last captive neko.

Obeying his master's orders, the leashed neko had turned and moved towards the separating grate as far as his lead would allow him to go. His head was down, ears flat, tail dragging. Then, the leashed blond neko looked up

Hiroki suddenly froze. His heart stopped and his throat and his balls simultaneously constricted. He had no idea what in the fuck had happened, but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the neko he was staring at and who was staring equally back at him was Tsumori.

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><p><strong>New AN:<br>**

**FangXavier- thanks for the props and I don't think there's anything wrong with loving a little drama (or a little smut for that matter).  
><strong>

**Loopyhutton and Frosty Squid- thank you for your faithful reviews'  
><strong>

**Ashley Tangerine- Where did you go?  
><strong>

**X- I so appreciate your reflections on the Apology Chapter and am glad it reads more manga-like to you. I am also glad I am able to convey my own shifted/shifting perceptions of the JR couples through this revision.**

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

***Sigh* Well, at least I have this world to go to and all you wonderful readers who find my ramblings amusing.**

**Anyway-**

**ASTROZOMBIE8- thanks for the review and the advice. Now that you know that Shinoda is in the picture, the littlest neko is actually a reference to his child who appears in the manga. Though I didn't end up actually making her his in this story, so you can tell your sister that. Also, don't worry… In the end Shinobu will still be the cutest kitten around (except to the Misaki fans).**

**Madame Masquerade 64. "Promised Land" indeed. I was glad I didn't get your review until after I was home from work. I laughed so loudly.**

**Teabags- better then CSI? You might get some arguments there… "clever cogs" hmmm. That would make a good penname (not that I need another)…As you know, I saw your new chapter and really enjoyed it.**

**Egoistfangirl- thank you for the two long, wonderful reviews. I am glad you feel enlightened, but I think that comes more from inside you than me. Nowaki did write a book, it's called the New Testament… oh wait, that's Jesus. Sorry, I get the two confused sometimes (and yes, I know that Jesus didn't actually write it himself). Hope this doesn't piss off any Christians who might be lurking in the JR mature section ( I know you're out there). I am of course speaking allegorically.**

**Also, I don't think you're wrong at all in your defense of Hiroki. To carry on with my Biblical allusions, if Nowaki is Jesus, then I guess you know what that make Akihiko in my fics… (runs screaming away from Romatica fans with clubs and torches). I happened to think that the most heartbreaking image in all of JR is Akihiko walking silently away with that blindfold in his hand. I mean, are we supposed to (as the panel indicates) really be feeling bad for him, that he's somehow sullied the image of his beloved Takahiro? What about the poor man sitting on the floor with Akihiko's sperm cooling in his ass (they don't use condoms in JR) who just offered himself (and knowing Hiroki's pride) just completely humiliated himself, and is now watching the person he's loved since childhood, literally turn his back on him and walk away. No, can't even bear to look at that page anymore. (Though I don't have to, the image has been unfortunately seared into my brain). I think this is why we (you/I/others) can so easily identify with Hiroki. Abuse (because in my opinion what Akihiko did was abusive- it's what he carries on with Misaki), Rejection, Pride, The inescapable drive for the unattainable perfection, the tremendous need for and fear of love: to me he is the most truly human of all the JR characters. Wow, writing that for some reason just made me incredibly sad… **

**If I'm not careful here, I'm going to have to take the "Don't" off of my penname.**

**FreshPrinceLover- Yes, well, not marriage, I don't know if gay neko marriage is legal in Japan, but definitely a permanent partnership, at least until gay marriage is legalized there. And Nowaki's gift, hmmm. You're going to have to wait for awhile.**

**Demoncookie8D- despite your demonic moniker you obviously have a soft heart. I will be kind, I promise.**

**Midoritenchi90- now you know how they're holding up. Those ukes are tough. I mean, they have to be. Look at what they have to take in their normal non-kidnapped lives. BTW- Okay, I put the perfect back, just for you… I re-read it the other day and thought that part was a bit ("girly" I think is the word I want to use- not that that's a bad thing sometimes) too much. I'm tickled your re-reading those fics though- naughty kitten. :)**

**Avery- Thanks for catching that typo. I've changed it. Love your long reviews and thank you for noting the "pecker" line. I hadn't used that word in forever and it's such a fun one. Hope you'll drop some reviews on the other fics as you pass through…Though don't neglect your school reading (insert professorial voice here). Of course your Hiro-san would be upset at the exclusion of classical literature… (it wouldn't be Hiro-san otherwise)**

**P.S. I am thinking about dropping you in for a cameo at the end. Send me a description of how your character looks so I can add that. Doesn't have to look like the real you (not that it can't). I just didn't want to seem like a creeper asking you to describe yourself on the internet (though I know there are some fangirls reading this who would be delighted).**

**Yaoifangirl4ever- delighted to see you coming out of your shell. Class where all the guys are okay with yaoi? Man, I want to teach there. Four weeks is a long time to not see someone you're attached to. A crush huh? Ouch… that's painful. That's why I am currently limiting myself to fictional relationships. Glad that you're enjoying the action of the story!**

**Lillemmi- glad you see how all my scheming is coming together, but I'm not done yet!**

**MoonlightatDusk- Yes, It's fun to have the characters together for a change. BTW Hooray! New chapter from you. I'm off to check it out as soon I get done posting this.**

**Kirakrz- hope you come back to us sometime soon and as I promised... There's your Shinoda. : )**


	59. Fallen: Egoist, Tsumori

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Fifty-Nine: Fallen**

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><p>"Tsumori," Hiroki breathed.<p>

Seeing the creature before him and realizing it was Tsumori was almost more than Hiroki could mentally handle. For one, there was no logical explanation for what he was seeing.

_How was it even possible for a human to be transformed into a neko?_

But he was.

Hiroki had seen his tail tapping quite clearly through the steel panel that divided them the first time he laid eyes on the blond human hybrid. He'd watched one of the new neko's ears twitch forward at the sound of his name being said. And then of course, there was the unmistakable smell. How often had Hiroki almost suffocated under that scent while his master had been crushing him beneath him?

Hiroki was overwhelmed with emotions.

The part of him that had been brutalized so severely and broken down wanted to runaway and hide or fall down and weep.

The part of him that had been revitalized by Nowaki's care and restored by the man's love wanted nothing more than for this whole nightmare to end; to be able to just walk away and forget the pain of the past and focus on finding peace in his new life.

And then there was the part of Hiroki that wanted to kill Tsumori: metaphorically and physically.

This last part, it turned out, was the strongest.

A thousand rage filled words boiled up on to the tip of Hiroki's tongue. If the grate hadn't been there, Hiroki would have been on the blond neko in an instant. But divided as they were, all Hiroki could do at the moment was stare back, his slender body shaking with fury.

Shinoda's voice interrupted Hiroki's murderous musings. "Do you know him too?" Shinoda's tone was incredulous.

As Hiroki was currently beyond words, Tsumori provided the answer by slowly nodding his head. Tsumori looked down unable to face Hiroki: he'd read the look in the cinnamon neko's eyes and knew full well that he'd more than earned it.

"Another ex?" Shinoda couldn't help it if the barest trace of jealousy entered his voice. He had really liked the Kamijou.

"Ex-owner," Hiroki growled, finally finding his voice, his eyes not leaving Tsumori. It was not just his speech that reverberated with his emotion, there was a low deep rumble building on its own accord in his chest.

"What in the hell are you talking about?"

"Kamijou-sensei," Misaki entreated, "your growling is starting to wake the kitten."

Hiroki turned around for a moment and saw the concern in Misaki's big green eyes. Shinobu and the other nekos were all looking at him fearfully as well.

From the front Ren heard Hiroki's growl. "Jun said to check on them,Tsumori, not stir them up, you stupid cat shit!"

Hearing those words, that phrase that Tsumori had used on him so many times, made Hiroki grow cold. He turned back just in time to see the battered new neko wince as though he'd been slapped by the sound of Ren's voice. Hiroki wondered how many times he'd looked like that standing before Tsumori.

"Please," Shinoda begged the leashed blond. "I don't know what happened between you two and I don't care, just don't tell them we're loose back here. It might be our only opportunity for escape." He looked at the miserable human hybrid hunched in front of him. "If you're any kind of neko at all, at least give us a chance."

Tsumori looked up at Hiroki once more.

Knowing that his anger could jeopardize all the other nekos in the van and since he felt responsible, in particular, for looking after Misaki and Shinobu, as much as he could, Hiroki turned the burner on his fury down to simmer and the growl died in his throat.

When his and Tsumori's gazes connected again, Hiroki thought there was something very different in the creature's eyes than those of his old master. A humbled pain had replaced the pride, and meanness.

Hiroki supposed if he was Nowaki, this might have softened his heart and maybe even made him feel a bit sad for the diminished figure before him. But he wasn't Nowaki, so he didn't feel the need to cut his previous tormentor any slack. As far as he was concerned the karmic kitty deserved everything it looked like he had been put through, and then some.

"I hope you make a better neko than you did a human." Hiroki's voice was expressionless, but everything from his ears to his tail stood strong in a posture of silent pride. "Though it's not as if that would take much," he added.

Hiroki turned his back on Tsumori and headed to the back of the van to sit down by Shinobu. Though Hiroki didn't see it as he moved away, Tsumori nodded again before his head dropped back down. His ears flattened and a few fat teardrops fell from his eyes.

"Is everything all right back there, Mori-chan?" Jun's tone was much milder than Ren's.

Tsumori looked at the nervous nekos in the back of the van. "Yow," he answered finally in way of affirmation. His voice was thick, not that either knacker noticed.

"Good, kitty-chan," Jun murmured, "Come sit back down now then, so you don't get thrown around. It won't be long now until we get there."

With one final glance in Hiroki's direction Tsumori moved towards the front, as far away from the other nekos as his leash would allow, and sat down. He assumed his most common posture of late: knees drawn to chest, arms wrapped around his bent legs, head down.

The broken blond sighed resignedly. He knew he would probably be punished later for not alerting Ren and Jun that their captives were loose in the back. In the end though, he supposed, it wouldn't make much difference. He'd been to the warehouse often enough in the last few days to know any plan the neko hybrids came up with to try and escape was ultimately hopeless and would only result in more pain… for all of them.

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**Sorry for the short chapter today. Though if you want an egoist fix… Go check out Cerberus Revised's "A Thousand Words," it was what I wrote this morning when I should have been writing this. **

**If I can, I'll try to pull another chapter tonight and do my shout outs then. Otherwise, I have cleared my schedule tomorrow and plan on doing nothing but writing… What a luxury… Until then!**


	60. Fight: Egoist, Romantica, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Sixty: Fight**

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><p>As the knackers pulled into the warehouse, all the nekos in the van began to shift about uncomfortably. The feline energy permeating the facility was overwhelming.<p>

Misaki handed the small female kit back to Shinoda. As sensitive as he was, the poor chocolate kitten was rapidly moving into a full blown panic attack.

"Hey, Takahashi," Hiroki muttered, "Take it easy." Though in truth, he was having difficulty breathing himself. Then Hiroki looked over at Shinobu. The caramel kitten's gray eyes were huge. Shinobu just stared back at him, however, and nodded, his young face set in a grim half-smile. The professor had to hand it to the Takatsuki cat: the little terrorist had spunk.

The nekos had decided that their best plan of action was to throw the net that the three "M" University cats had crawled out of, onto whoever opened the back door of the van and then scatter, each promising to do their best to get help if he got away.

Shinoda had said he would carry the wee kitten as he was bigger than most of the other cats in the van. He had a slice of seme energy in him. Besides, the little female was already used to him.

However, as the saying goes, the best laid plans of cats and men…

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><p>Once they'd pulled in, Ren turned off the car and jumped out. Jun followed but not before telling Mori-chan "to be good" and that "Daddy would be back soon."<p>

Hiroki heard this from where he was sitting in the back of the van and despite his terrible nervousness, couldn't help but let out a snort at the big man's baby talk.

Up towards the front, Tsumori remained motionless, only the barest twitch of his tail indicated that he'd heard.

Kato came out of the warehouse office to meet the two men. "I'm surprised to see you guys here tonight."

"Well, we had one last batch, we thought we'd drop off," Jun said.

"You got here just in time, then. The trucks for pickup should be here in about forty five minutes and then we'll start loading them up. So how many do you have for us tonight?"

"Seven," Ren said flatly.

"Wait, you mean six, Ren," Jun countered. "We're keeping that Kamijou cat after all."

"No, I mean seven, Jun, Tsumori's not coming home with us, one way or another tonight." Ren snapped. "It's China or the Doc's or, if you insist on keeping him, I'll just fucking kill him myself. Besides, you'll have that neko professor to play with."

"How many times have we been through this, Ren? I'm not fucking giving Tsumori up!"

While the two knackers were building into a brawl, the scar-faced youth, Kato, called over to the tattooed Shinji and two other toughs to start unloading the back of the van.

"All but the Kamijou," Kato shouted, "He's staying."

As they were walking up, Shinji said, "I wonder what goodies those two idiots brought us tonight?" He clasped his hands together in anticipation of some good hybrid pussy.

"Shinji, I don't think we have time to mess around with the trucks coming so soon," the youth next to him said.

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, Toma, all I need is ten minutes."

The youth on the other side of Shinji snickered. "More like two minutes, if tonight is anything like yesterday!"

"Shut up, Jiro, you asshole!" The tattooed youth growled.

The three approached the back of the van. The two subordinate toughs on each side and Shinji in the middle. As soon as Toma and Jiro opened the door, the captive nekos threw the net out.

Unfortunately, as Toma and Jiro were on the outside of the doors still so the only one that was netted was Shinji.

"Shut the fucking doors, god damn it! They're loose in there," the netted punk cried. The two toughs slammed the door, shut but not before a blurred caramel flash dashed out and into the depths of the warehouse.

"Mother fucker!" Shinji shouted, "One of those fucking fleabags got out! Jiro, you go find that little freak! Toma, move your ass and get me the hell out of this mess!"

"What do you want me to do when I find the little bastard, Shinji?" Jiro asked.

"I don't give a cat's ass!" The tattooed tough yelled, "If you can't catch him, shoot him for all that I care. The last things we need is a loose neko running around, trying to fuck things up."

Jiro pulled his gun out of the shoulder holster under his jacket. "Sounds like fun," he grinned. "I could use a little target practice."

Toma helped Shinji struggle out of the net. "Those fucking pussies are going to pay. Toma, get your gun out."

The two punks opened the doors of the van slowly. All of the captives were crouched on the floor, pressing as far back up against the grate as they could, knowing there was sure to be retaliation. Seeing the guns, they shrunk back further. Shinoda had turned and was using himself as a shield for the littlest neko, who was tucked in his arms, hiccuping in fright. Hiroki and Misaki were standing in front of Shinoda.

"God damn it, it looks like they're all males tonight," Toma sighed.

"What the fuck do I care?" Shinji drawled. Before anyone had time to react, he reached in and grabbed Misaki by the front of his shirt. "This kitten's kind of cute."

As he clutched Misaki, the front of the chocolate neko's shirt rode up. "Shit, look at the nipples Toma, it's a Takahashi. You don't see many with that old breed style these days," Shinji chuckled. He put his gun in the waist band of his pants and with his gun-hand now free reached over and tweaked one of Misaki's six rosy buds.

The slender kit-teen was blushing furiously and started to struggle, but he heard the click as the other tough, Toma, drew back the hammer on his gun.

"What are you going to do to the Takahashi?" Hiroki suddenly asked.

Shinji lashed out with his free hand and caught the side of Hiroki's face, driving the professor to the floor.

"Not that it's any of your fucking business, you stupid neko shit," Shinji spat, "But let's just say this little Takahashi's heat's come early this year."

The tattooed youth pulled Misaki out of the van and threw him on the ground. The young hybrid had stretched out his hands to break his fall, but when Misaki hit the pavement there was a sickening crack and the kit-teen grabbed his left wrist and started mewling in pain.

"Look," Hiroki wiped the corner of his mouth where a trickle of blood had gathered, his voice was frantic. "Why don't you take me instead?"

Shinji snorted as he looked at the cinnamon catman. "Why would I want to fuck an old tom like you? I mean, look at your ridiculous ear. Besides, you're the Kamijou, right? You're staying here."

"I'm not the Kamijou," Hiroki lied. "He is." He pointed to Shinoda. "Look, um besides," Hiroki said, starting to blush. "I have a lot of experience with this kind of stuff." He gathered his breath and said calmly, "I promise, I can make you feel really good… if you'll just leave Takahashi alone. I mean, look, you've already hurt him."

Shinji appeared to ponder this for a moment. Then he shook his head. "Nope. I'm fucking the kitten." And with that he and Toma slammed the van doors closed on Hiroki's pleas.

The tattooed youth grabbed Misaki's hurt arm, causing the chocolate neko to cry out. He pushed it up behind the slender kitten's back and propelled Misaki towards the office.

Hiroki could hear Shinji's muffled voice through the door. "But don't worry, old tom, if I have time, I might take you up on your offer for round two."

As the two toughs and Misaki headed for the office, they passed the quarreling knackers. Kato was standing there watching the pair, whose verbal sparring was quickly coming to physical blows.

At the office door, Shinji shoved Misaki in and then pushed Toma back. "Fuck off, Toma, and give me a few minutes alone."

"But I wanted to watch," Toma whined.

"No. Go find Jiro and help him catch that loose neko."

"What about sloppy seconds?"

"I'll save the little cocksucker for you when you comeback. Don't you worry, this Takahashi's not going anywhere and by the time I get done with him, he won't even be near able to walk." Shinji sneered.

Resigned, but still pissed. Toma turned around and stalked off.

On his way, he walked up to Kato who was watching the two knackers fight. Ren and Jun were truly pounding on each other now.

The scarred tough looked at his watch. "I'm giving the idiots ten minutes. That should give them enough time to clean up and clear out before the trucks get here."

"I'll put ten thousand yen on the big guy," Toma said. Jiro could find that stupid escapee on his own. _How much trouble could one damn neko really cause?_

Kato watched Ren deliver a particularly vicious kick to Jun's balls. He shot Toma his disfigured smile. "You're on."

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><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**Drama, Drama, Drama… (To quote MoonlightatDusk) Where the hell are those semes?**

**Teabags, where are you? I hope the reason I haven't heard from you is that you're too busy writing. I am really enjoying your new work.**

**Midnight Reader- missing you too. I hope all the action is not driving you away, I know it's a bit of a change.**

**Pikana, Vanion- Thank you for adding this to your favorite/alerts.**

**YaoiLover796- Thanks for putting this story on your alerts. Checked out your "Misaki is a Cat" update today, I'm anxious to see what happens with Misaki and Akihiko being left alone now. Oh, and no, sorry, Hiroki will not be killing Tsumori.**

**X ( )- I know I am saying this all over the place, but I am so glad you are back and happy to know things are settling down. Hope you will consider reviewing some of the previous chapters, though I know how much time you put into them. You have started a wonderful trend and I love it. Your return missive was amazing. Ahhh… you make this author's heart sing. Oh, and what closet were you talking about? I have so many in my life… the pennames? Well, I was feeling bad because of tremendous readers, like you, sending such lovely reviews and thinking you were writing to two different people (it felt too duplicitous, even for me), then, some readers had figured it out, and then I sent a pm to someone from the wrong account and they were like, "thanks for responding, but why are you writing from a different name." Then I was like "oh shit, okay time to fess up." And there you have it. I figured you kind of knew, I'd hoped to wait until you'd return to do it as I'd been contemplating it for a while, but… Surprise. I do agree, that penname is the more cerebral of the two, part of the reason for the split, though "The Escort" has that flavor more than Neko. Hope you will review that one, I'm anxious for your feedback. Oh, and can't you give me any more description than crazy fangirl? That's not a lot to work with.**

**Madame Masquerade 64- you are a softie. Didn't you once say you'd never feel bad for Tsumori? And thank you so much for being my 600th reviewer! I feel like I should give you a prize.**

**Egoistfangirl- loved your reviews as always. Redemption is a critical theme for me, so we'll have to see how things go in with Tsumori. A bit sad you didn't try my Romantica, rather proud of those little oneshots (same for X), but I totally understand. I am writing those in the hopes that they will make me understand/like that couple better. Sorry to mislead you with the Misaki/Nowaki thing…as if I'd break up my egoists… but wait, weren't you suggesting a storyline like that the other day? Which by the way has got my mind churning a bit (reading your suggestion gave me a bit of a chill= possible good story here) I have a few other fics to finish first, but then…**

**Also, I finished the chapter before midnight, but not the shout outs… Does that mean I don't get my shrine. : )**

**Freakylemurcat- thanks for chiming in. Read your fic today. Liked the idea of Akihiko as a dog, waiting for Misaki. The bandaging his toe with a sock made me laugh, sounded like something I'd do. Yes, the Akihikos are different, but try my "Thousand Words," and you'll see I don't always write him as a bastard. So glad you're liking the neko fic though. (And yeah, sweet kinky neko morph for Tsumori.)**

**Midoritenchi- popping up everywhere and your reviews are getting longer my dear… I love it and love seeing your sweet name in my e-mail.**

**FreshPrinceLover- thanks for all the reviews. Now you can see they had a plan. Too bad it didn't work. :( **

**I. AM. LEGEND- Hooray! You joined the neko club. So glad to see you here! I know, I can't stay mad a kitty either, especially when it's ears droop.**

**Demoncookie8D- No, it doesn't make you heartless, just human. Also, I have something in store for the knackers, so hang in there. Are you suggesting Hiroki and Nowaki adopt the littlest neko. They haven't even had sex and you want them to have a family? :)**

**Lillemmi- I agree with you, I didn't think Hiroki could just forget it after all the terrible things that had happened to him. Hey, thanks for all the reviews BTW. Loved them!**

**xMoymoy- no way I'm missing out on your fic. I seriously like it. You have such a great voice in your writing fic/review. Loved the bastards comment…damned administrators. Psychology, ay? I was thinking about getting another degree, one in art therapy a while back (because I just really like being in debt) now I think I just rather spend my free time writing fanfiction, instead of thesis papers. Where in the hell are my priorities. **

**So, now Shinobu's on the loose… What trouble will the little terrorist get into. And I don't think his proposing to Miyagi was fluffy, pretty ballsy actually. It should be Miyagi proposing to Shinobu, after all, he did take the poor kitten's virtue.**

**Kirakrz- So glad you have returned, hope you excelled on all your exams. What a most excellent comeback review. I hope you will be with us for a while now. Glad you liked Shinoda showing up and as you can see, I am making him more and more admirable as we go along. Not such a bad cat after all. Like your Akihiko idea, but I also have other plans.**

**Avery- your description was perfect. I know just what I'm doing (as much as I ever do). Thanks so much for the egoist reviews on "A Thousand Words" today. I was so tickled to see you pop up on Cerberus. Hooray. So, I'm sure I posted what is now yesterday's chapter too late for you, so you will have two chaps to read. BTW, say hi to your Hiro-san for me!**

**Ichigo Kousei- Where are you, my sweet honey. Such a busy bee these days, always flitting about.**

**Yaoifangirl4ever- If I don't hear from you tomorrow, I'll know it's because you're with your BF (crush). Hope it works out. I appreciate that you can identify with Hiroki too. I think many can. Also, love seeing your reviews popping up other places as well. And I will try and be a good author and get the next chapter of T.H. up this weekend. Also, read chapter 41 again for the China explanation.**


	61. Super: Egoist, Romantica, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Sixty-One: Super**

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><p>While things were going from bad to worse for the nekos inside the warehouse, outside the semes were trying to figure out the best way to save their ukes.<p>

The three decided that they needed to get closer to the building to check things out.

Nowaki and Miyagi both got very nervous when Akihiko opened his car's glovebox and casually pulled out a gun.

"What in the hell is that?" Miyagi exclaimed.

"I have a special permit," Akihiko said coolly, tucking it into the back of his waistband under his jacket.

"How the fuck did you manage to secure that?" Miyagi asked incredulously.

"I'm rich," the author offered simply, as though that explained everything.

"Besides," Akihiko started heading towards the imposing structure up ahead, "Permit or not, no one fucks with my Misaki but me."

Miyagi and Nowaki followed cautiously behind. The huge hybrid looked at Nowaki and mouthed, "He's crazy."

"Tell me something I don't know," Nowaki sighed.

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><p>It took the three semes a while to get up close to the warehouse as Kato had armed guards placed intermittently around the site. After a few close calls the trio found themselves right on the building's perimeter.<p>

They made their way cautiously along looking for a way to get in. Without even seeing the interior of the building, Miyagi could feel and smell the mass of nekos inside. There were periodic sounds, barely audible, emerging now also, muffled by the walls of the building.

Miyagi shivered involuntarily, the tremor traveled all the way down to the tip of his exquisite tail. "There's a lot of nekos in there," he whispered.

"How do you know, Miyagi-san?" Nowaki asked.

"Trust me," Miyagi answered. "I just know."

"I think that this whole situation might be bigger than us." Nowaki's handsome face looked gravely concerned. "I mean, it's not like we're super semes."

Akihiko frowned at Nowaki, his eyes narrowed. "Speak for yourself, Kusama."

"I'm just saying maybe we should call for some additional help, Usami-san."

"And what do you suggest, Kusama?" Miyagi growled with frustration. "Sumi already called the emergency dispatch and they said it was a job for animal control. There's no way that they could handle something the size of this."

"Let me make a call really quickly before we do anything we might regret." Nowaki pulled out his phone and then, reaching in to his back pocket, pulled out his wallet.

Sure enough, there was Officer Sato's card with his personal number. It had been there since the policeman had questioned him at the hospital following Tsumori's disappearance.

A few minutes later Nowaki was talking with Officer Sato.

"Fucking dispatch, telling you to call animal control," the young policeman growled. Sato was an openly acknowledged ailurophile.* "I actually have a number of nekos myself," he admitted. "I get so pissed off with how people treat hybrids.

"This whole thing sounds pretty big," the young officer agreed. "I've got some guys I can call and we'll be down there as soon as we can, Kusama-san," Sato assured. "In the meantime, you guys hang tight and please don't go doing anything rash."

"Thank you, Officer Sato," Nowaki breathed small sigh of relief, though he was still incredibly worried for Hiro-san.

"And?" Akihiko asked Nowaki as soon as the tall man flipped his phone shut. The author was looking more than slightly annoyed. He really needed a cigarette but was worried the glow of one might attract attention.

Nowaki looked over before answering as Miyagi emerged from the shadows of the building. The sun had started to set a while ago and soon it would be dark. The big neko had gone on a little reconnaissance mission while Nowaki was on the phone.

"I think I found a way in, but I need some help," Miyagi said.

"Officer Sato said we should wait until he and his men arrive," Nowaki offered uneasily. He didn't think he wanted to just stand around, however. Not while terrible things could be happening to Hiro-san just on the other side of the wall.

"Fuck that," Miyagi growled. "Shinobu-chin is in there. I'm not waiting around."

Akihiko looked at Nowaki and added, "this adventure has intruded into my Misaki happy hour."

The young intern regarded the other two semes and nodded grimly. "Let's not waste any more time then. Show us what you've found, Miyagi-san."

Further down the building, the hybrid showed the other two semes a broken window. "I could jump that high, but I need to get the broken glass out first and I need a boost." Miyagi pointed to several huge shards still stuck in the casing of the window pane.

Nowaki and Akihiko each supported one of Miyagi's feet and lifted the noir neko up.

Before he'd climbed on, Miyagi took off his coat and his tie. As he did, he slipped Shinobu's gift into his breast pocket behind his pack of cigarettes.

Miyagi wrapped his tie around one hand and gathered his jacket in the other to form a loose sling. As he reached the window, the big neko wriggled the sharp fragments free with his tie-padded paw and slipped the pieces into his coat, so they didn't fall to the ground and shatter, alerting the guards to their presence.

Akihiko looked on, watching the professorial neko's progress. Miyagi's thick tail swished in concentration. "You know, Miyagi, if you ever tire of teaching, you'd make a great cat burglar."

Miyagi didn't turn his head, but one ear swiveled back in the direction of the author's voice. "Ha, Ha, Usami," the old tom said drily. Under his breath he muttered, "you ass."

"I heard that," Akihiko growled

"Good," Miyagi growled back.

"Usagi-san, Miyagi-san, cool it!" Nowaki was growing tired of the testosterone tension between the two older males.

While Akihiko seemed unfazed by Nowaki's admonishment, Miyagi looked at Nowaki and an expression of embarrassment flitted across his face.

"Alright, let me down, I'm done."

Once back on the ground, Miyagi emptied the glass from his coat. Then he threw it back up so that it draped over the window's ledge. With an agile leap, he caught the edge and quickly pulled himself through.

"Pretty slick for such a big fellow," Akihiko observed.

Miyagi poked his head back out the window. "Well, I am a seme tom after all, Usami. Slipping in and out of things is what I do best." He and the author exchanged lecherous grins at this statement.

"Enough with the pussy jokes," Nowaki exclaimed exasperated. "We have ukes to save!"

Miyagi frowned down at the tall man. "Look, there's a door about another fifty feet down." He gestured to the south end of the building. "I'll meet you there and let you in."

Akihiko and Nowaki quietly made their way down the wall to the door. After what seemed like an eternity, the knob turned and Miyagi opened it. The two men were shaken by the change in the noir neko's demeanor. His eyes were slightly wild and he looked to be in a state of near shock. "You can't believe what's going on in here," the Miyagi gasped. "We have to find our ukes, right now!"

The two men followed Miyagi into the darkened building. The first thing they noticed was the noise and the smell. As the humans' eyes adjusted (Miyagi being a neko could see quite well in the dark), Nowaki and Akihiko realized they were surrounded by row upon row of small stacked crates. In each there was at least one neko. The boxes were so small that the occupants couldn't even stand up and some of the captive catpeople had been being held there for weeks.

Sensing the newcomers, the caged nekos began to murmur, some to call out for help.

"So much for the element of surprise," Akihiko drawled. "There's no way we can keep these nekos quiet."

Miyagi looked at the author with disgust. He went over to the end of one of the rows and spoke softly to the caged nekos inside the first few crates. Within minutes, a murmur rose like a wave through the rows and then crashed into silence. The two human semes could hear the same thing going on throughout the warehouse: a whisper turned into a soft swell of sound and then died away into nothing.

"What the hell was that?" Akihiko asked incredulously. "I've never seen anything like it."

"That is the neko catnip-vine in action." Miyagi explained to the man as if he were an idiot. "They're passing word that we're going to try and save them and they'll do everything they can to help us. They're looking for out for our three nekos now."

"We're saving them too now?"

Miyagi and Nowaki both shot Akihiko a venomous look.

"Of course we are!" Nowaki all but cried out.

"Fine," Akihiko shrugged. "After I get Misaki."

Miyagi had gone back to one of the crates. After a brief conversation with the neko inside he returned.

"Should we just start trying to let them out?" Nowaki asked. He was no neko, but the energy of all those poor incarcerated souls was breaking his big heart.

Miyagi shook his shaggy head. His ears were twitching like mad with the stress of the situation and his worry for his wee caramel mate.

_Yes, my mate. There, I said it, God damn it. _

"They're safer in their crates for now and a lot of them are in pretty bad shape I think, so they wouldn't get very far if we did." Miyagi paused. "Shinobu's that way." He pointed down the rows. "The catnip-vine said that Kamijou is still in the van, that way." Miyagi pointed in the opposite direction.

Then he looked at Akihiko and his expression was grave. He pointed at the author's watch. "You know how to find Misaki… but, if I heard right… you best move your ass before your kitten gets his pounded."

Akihiko turned pale and without another word, looking down at his watch, he immediately bounded off.

"Good luck, Miyagi-san," Nowaki turned to start heading quickly in the same direction as the author.

"You too, Kusama." Miyagi nodded as he started to lope off the other way, guided by the whispers of the captive nekos in the direction he hoped would take him to Shinobu.

As they each went after his own uke neko, Nowaki as he rushed to try and locate Hiroki, could not help but feel his anxiety increase: the situation it appeared was now coming apart at the semes.

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><p><strong>Please don't kill me for my terrible, terrible pun. I don't know quite what happened with the end of that chapter. But onwards…. More action tomorrow!<strong>

**ailurophile*- a lover of cats (not in like a sexual way, just someone who really likes kitties.)**

**Shout Outs! Finally Posted!**

**Puppyfacetwo: Thanks for the favorites/alerts, glad to see you joining us here!**

**LoserSquad- thanks for the favorites/alerts, glad to have you join this fic. Got your catch up reviews and appreciate them. Thanks for catching those sneaky typos.**

**NadiwaYagari- glad you're still with us!**

**Pendragon96- first time here, thank you for chiming- it is Misaki and Akihiko, but I know what you mean.**

**Lillemmi- action, action, action!**

**Chiharu Moka- will you kill me if Misaki does get raped?**

**Yaoifangirl4ever- well, Hiroki feels responsible and is an honorable neko, plus he's been through so much, I think he feels like he's already damaged. Sorry things did not go as you planned.**

**FreshPrice Lover- you and Chiharu Moka can duke it out over Misaki's chastity.**

**Teabags- I missed a new chapter from you today. I give you your neko, where's my JRNG? I'll see what I can do about not hurting your Misaki so much. Better watch out though because if Usami hears you say that, he's bound to come after you and now he has a gun.**

**Madame Masquerade 64- "Cats-ass" was meant to be funny. I laughed as I wrote it anyway.**

**Midoritenchi90- your pleas for the nekos break my heart and I like your plot thoughts.**

**Kiyo12- hope you have your superhero music playing- because now it's on!**

**I. AM. LEGEND- I like the softer Hiroki too, he's my favorite.**

**Egoistfangirl- And I will build you a shrine for your reviews! Ouch, poor Misaki, the fandom bicycle… Now the semes are on their way! You are so good at these story lines I may just have you write the next chap. (honestly, would you? I'm getting a little bit worn out.) : ) I will check out the link. If you want a hot egoist link… go to youtube and type dann02sky. There's a collection of audio cd's with subtitles and dialogue (plus sound effects) of what the anime would sound like if they ever allowed the guys to really get it on. You might want to have headphones when you do. The 6:11 clip has some beautiful internal Hiroki thought that is quite lovely. I recommend it for any egoist pervert, like myself. **

**Yaoilover796- well, we'll have to see what happens. Glad the reviews helped. The abuse scenes are hard to write.**

**Avery- Thanks for the review! Even if it is short, I still appreciate it.**

**X ( ) My amazing marathon reviewer, okay I have to ask you again to marry me. Amazing, your feedback on each chapter. I really do appreciate it. I will try and answer some of your questions here:**

**X and O: One is kiss and one is hug, but don't ask me which. I used to know, but now it eludes me. **

**I am delighted you decided "to hell with it" on the shyness or I would never have been able to have these engaging reviews/conversations with you (seriously). **

**Well, about the confession, I just felt bad, thinking that someone was writing to one person and thinking it was two. In a weird way it felt like cheating to me. My Nowaki ethics coming out. Especially when what is being said is so earnest. That is to be cherished and not abused. I am delighted people have been so forgiving and I like the reader crossover that has come as a result too.**

**I am with you 100% on polite Hiroki, he is my favorite incarnation, well, next to sweet Hiroki. Maybe we should start a line of dolls, with outfits to reflect the mood.**

**Quoting my profile text…now I am really blushing.**

**Glad you're enjoying T.H. I always love your reviews there as well!**

**I don't know if I can adequately express my appreciation for your catch up reviews. It really means so much to me! I know the time you spend and to have someone do that for these things that I write really touches me. So thank you, X (and all my other lovely reviewers). **

**Neko life is a hard one. The anti-slavery/postcolonial subtext was important to me and I appreciate that you and so many other viewers have picked up on it.**

**I hope that you will review the other stories as I gain so much from them. I hope I have not overwhelmed you with my recent prolificness. Glad you are liking "The Escort" I think it is fast becoming my new favorite. **

**I would be delighted to put you in a fic. Please don't feel you have overstepped. You deserve it after this review marathon… so I await your description.**

**Please talk to me more about this idea of author opinion. I'm not sure I understand. How do other authors make their opinions known.**

**Tweaking things to shape them the way that I want or taking things that already exist and altering or combining them to create something new is a big part of my process. Perhaps what you're sensing is an extension of that?**

**Kirakrz- glad you're enjoying Shinoda and perhaps you will find a place in your heart eventually for Tsumori as well. Also, Hiroki wasn't trying to frame Shinoda, when he offered himself for Misaki, they wouldn't take him if he was the Kamijou as that neko was reserved for ransom and not going to China. So he was trying to help Shinoda and possibly save the little girl.  
><strong>


	62. Escape I: Egoist, Romantica, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Sixty-Two: Escape I**

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><p>Inside the van, while there was panic among the remaining nekos, Hiroki was beside himself with anguish about what had happened and was going to soon be happening to Misaki. While he'd had no desire to experience that kind of abuse ever again, he wished desperately that the gangsters had taken him instead of the kitten.<p>

"You did everything that you could, Kamijou," Shinoda tried to comfort the professorial neko, as he sat rocking the little girl kit.

"But it wasn't enough," Hiroki responded despairingly. He looked around the back of the van. _There has to be some way out of here_. Even as he thought this, Hiroki knew there was no way out. He put his head in his hands sadly. Unconsciously one hand moved up and grazed his stitched ear.

He was suddenly just so tired.

* * *

><p>Up towards the front of the van Tsumori sat in deep contemplation. He'd heard all that had transpired among the nekos in the back. Particularly, he'd caught Hiroki's offer to sacrifice himself for the Takahashi kitten.<p>

As Ren had left the window of the driver's seat partly rolled down, he could also hear and had heard what was going on between the knackers outside the van.

Tsumori quietly crawled back over to where his leash was locked to the tie down. Jun had been so excited about making a move on the Kamijou cat, that while he'd watched his "Mori-chan" flip the lock around, he'd failed to notice that the new neko hadn't pushed it down to really latch it.

This was it, his first and last chance to escape. In a big place like this, Tsumori knew there must be at least a million places to hide and with all the commotion and the coming trucks, the traffickers probably wouldn't even waste the time it would take to try and look for him if he got away.

Tsumori was terrified (something else he'd never really felt before waking up as a neko) but, he knew it was either now or never. With trembling fingers, he flipped the catch back and silently slid his lead out of the tie down. He tucked the leash down into his now tattered shirt so that it wouldn't catch on anything and crept up to the front of the car.

The nekos in the back were so preoccupied with their own drama they didn't even notice when the battered blond neko quietly opened the passenger-side door and slipped out.

* * *

><p>Outside the van, the knackers' fight was still in full swing, but Toma could see that the big knacker, Jun, was clearly losing. Something had really set Ren off and in his fury, he had pulled out all the stops.<p>

Knowing that he was going to have to give Kato ten thousand yen totally pissed Toma off. He was also still furious Shinji was fucking the Takahashi kitten alone.

Then Toma recalled what the Kamijou hybrid had said about being skilled in the ways of making a man "feel really good."

There was still time, he could no doubt fuck the Kamijou without interference. Kato and Shinji were both occupied and there were dozens dark corners in the warehouse.

_Why shouldn't I just grab that ratty-eared hybrid and amuse myself for a bit. Maybe Shinji doesn't want to fuck a neko with a messed up ear, but the Kamijou cat's ear isn't the part that I plan to use. _

Toma looked over once more at Kato who was still completely immersed in watching Ren now truly kicking the shit out of Jun. Convinced he could pull this off without incident, Toma started in an easy amble over towards the back of the van.

* * *

><p>In the office, Shinji gave Misaki a hard shove that sent him flying across the short length of the room and crashing into the wall. The kitten hit the plaster and crumpled into a shivering heap on the floor.<p>

The tattooed youth grabbed a plastic slip-tie from a pile off of Kato's desk. They used these to bind the hands of nekos when they had to move them as they were more effective than even hand cuffs.

Shinji went over and picked the trembling hybrid up off the floor by the pack that was still over Misaki's thin shoulders. He dragged the slender neko back across the room and bent Misaki over the edge of Kato's desk. Shinji held Misaki pinned down by one hand on the back of the terrified hybrid's neck and stripped the pack off.

He grabbed the Takahashi kitten's arms, unheeding of Misaki's broken wrist and secured the neko's hands behind his back.

Shinji flipped Misaki back around facing him. He took his gun from the waistband of his pants and set it on the far corner of the desk. Then he pulled a switchblade knife out of his front jean's pocket and flipped it open. He grinned as he looked into Misaki's huge glistening green eyes.

"I think we're going to have a lot of fun, you and I." He laughed heartlessly.

The tattooed tough grabbed the front of Misaki's thin t-shirt and slid the blade in a line up the cloth from base to neck, but he didn't stop there. He caught the underside of Misaki's collar as well and the sharp steel slid through this too. Then he ran the blade down each shoulder.

Misaki had closed his eyes and turned his head away, as if that would somehow help him escape the sickening sound of Shinji's steel, slicking through the fabric, the blade kissing his flesh intermittently on its path, leaving a trail of thin crimson slivers. Misaki could feel the nubs of his six small nipples respond to the cold bite of the air as his shirt and his collar fell away.

Shinji ran a rough hand over Misaki's smooth torso. Misaki shivered with fear under his harsh touch. This pleased the tattooed youth greatly.

"You're as lovely as any neko bitch I've ever taken, my little Takahashi pussy," Shinji leaned over and ran his thick tongue across Misaki's salty cheek, enjoying the taste his tears.

"P….Pluh…Please…" Misaki started to beg in spite of his resolution that he was going to be strong.

He thought about what Kamijou-sensei had offered to do: to be here in his place. Misaki was sure that the older neko would have endured the indignities he was now suffering while still maintaining his pride. Misaki had hoped he could do that too, but he just wasn't strong enough. This realization brought a fresh wave of tears to his eyes.

Shinji tasted these as well and, thinking they were caused by him, pulled back chuckling. "You are delicious, Takahashi, and now I have something delicious for you."

The tough flipped his knife closed and stuck it back in his pocket. He unzipped his jeans and, as his commando tendencies enabled, pulled out his un-obscured dick. "I tell you what. As you're so fuckin' cute, I'll offer you a deal… You prepare me really nicely and I might decide to actually prepare you in return. I guarantee, that if I do that, when I start fucking the shit out of you, it'll hurt a hell of a lot less."

As he said this, Shinji pulled Misaki forward and forced him down onto his knees in front of him confronting the kitten with his rapidly rousing cock.

Shinji grabbed Misaki's chin in a painfully tight grip and pulled his face upwards. "Not that I'm really giving you a choice about sucking me off, you understand?"

Misaki stared at the man in horror. Akihiko was the only person Misaki had ever been with, and in the entire time he had been with the author, the man had not once yet asked this of him. Despite all that his owner had done to or with him, Misaki had never felt this degraded. He bowed his head and began to sob, his dark ears quivered and his tail was curled tightly between his legs.

It didn't help that in his whole life Misaki had never been without a collar. He'd never realized the security its slight but comforting weight had offered. Without it, even more than the loss of his shirt, this left him feeling completely exposed and shamefully naked.

Misaki was so locked into his terror that he didn't even think of what the loss of his collar meant in other terms. The moment the collar was severed, in another part of the warehouse, the little blinking Misa-kitty face on Akihiko's watch, winked one last time and then faded out.

Shinji released his harsh grasp on Misaki's chin and traded it as each of his hands sought and found a hold on one of the poor kitten's, flattened, silky, brown ears. Misaki cried out in pain as Shinji twisted them viciously as he pulled him towards his groin.

* * *

><p>The minute Shinobu was out of the knackers' vehicle he had just started to run and kept running, trying to put as much distance between himself and the van as he could. He hadn't even paid attention to where he was going, as he wove through the maze of crates, until he felt fairly certain that no one was immediately following him.<p>

As soon as Shinobu stopped and looked around, however, and realized where he was and what it was he was seeing. As the adrenaline jolt that had temporarily dulled his senses began to recede, the atrocity of it overwhelmed him. In his whole short life, nothing he'd encountered could have prepared him for the magnitude of suffering that he saw or felt.

"Pssst."

The soft hiss caught the Shinobu's attention. Ears twitched curiously forward, he stepped over in a daze to the crate that the noise had come from. It held a kitten that looked to be about his age, with black hair and large brown eyes. One of the neko's arms was bound in a dirty homemade splint.

It was the broken armed hybrid the knackers had pulled from their traps a few days ago.

"Hey, kid, what's your name?" the small black-haired neko asked.

"Shinobu," the Takatsuki thought it odd that another kitten would be calling him "kid."

"My name's Kisa Shouta," the injured hybrid replied. "Look, you have to help us get out of here."

Shinobu looked around him at the towering crates and again felt completely overwhelmed.

"But how?" He wondered aloud. There were so many and he was just one.

The black neko shifted uncomfortably, his broken arm was killing him. He tried not to sound impatient as the other kitten was obviously in trauma. "Well, you could start by unlocking these crates. They're not keyed, those assholes are too lazy for that, but there's a release mechanism on the side of the crates that can't be reached from inside. Believe me, I know, I've been trying to reach it for days."

"We have to have some kind of plan though, or it will be chaos when everyone gets out," Shinobu said.

The Kisa cat cocked his head and his matted black ears twitched forward. His dark brown eyes regarded Shinobu thoughtfully. "You know, you're pretty rational for a kitten."

Shinobu brightened as Kisa's words permeated his fear induced fog. "I'm pretty smart too," Shinobu said.

_"Though not everyone seems to appreciate that."_

The kitten's heart squeezed painfully as a picture of Miyagi involuntarily flashed through his mind.

Shinobu sighed and pushed it aside. "Just give me a minute to think. I am sure I can come up with a plan."

* * *

><p>A few minutes later Kisa was out as well as four other nekos who were still in relatively good shape.<p>

Shinobu had realized that he was right. Singly, none of them stood a chance, but if they all worked together…

Using the catnip-vine, Shinobu had put his plan into action. Each of the freed nekos was going to go over to another area and take a row. They would unlock all the cages in that row and but only one neko would come out and that hybrid would climb up and start unlocking the cages of the row above. Once the loose neko had finished with that row, he/she would either go back to his/her crate or crawl into a crate with another neko. As soon as the trucks arrived and the doors opened to allow them in to load, a signal would be given and every able-bodied neko would exit their cage simultaneously and attack.

Murmurs spread up and down the rows as the plan was spread.

It was risky. It depended on every hybrid to keep a cool head. This would be hard, as every one of them wanted nothing more than to get out, but really their best chance to escape would be if they moved in mass.

Shinobu had also suggested that the nekos start making noises in different areas. It would disrupt their captors and draw them away from where the freed nekos were working if the traffickers were focused on trying to keep the peace in another part of the warehouse.

Kisa and the others dispersed while Shinobu set about freeing more nekos in Kisa's row to spread out and do the same.

A tremendous racket emerged around him as he was fumbling with a particularly stiff catch on the side of a crate. "Stupid nekos," he muttered. "You're supposed to be making the noise where I'm not."

He twisted the catch again and it still did not release. "God damn lock!" Shinobu fumed. He was so intent on his task he did not realize that hybrids hollering around him were trying to warn him.

Less than twenty feet away at the end of the row, Jiro stood. His gun was drawn and he had Shinobu directly lined up in his sights.

* * *

><p><strong> New AN:<strong>

**Loopy Hutton. X, Ashley Tangerine... Thank you sweet, faithful readers. Your reviews urge me on.**

* * *

><p><strong>Old AN: <strong>

**Tseli- thanks for the favorites/alerts**

**Demoncookie8D, Lillemmi, Loser Squad, MoonlightatDusk- always love to see a note from you, my faithful reviewing peeps.**

**Lastbloom- glad your back, drop a line and say what you think as you catch up. And for the sake of this fiction, I would say, no. If you are allegoric to cats you would not be allergic to neko hybrids.**

**FreshPrinceLover- What do you mean my updates get slower? I have been updating every day—hungry kitten. Many things are brewing, hope you like the results…**

**Midortenchi90- "Super Semes" for you, Querida Mio.**

**Madame Masquerade 64- yes, I wish Miyagi and Akihiko got to interact more often. I think they could have a good rapport. I had not thought of 101- but good call. I'll have to rewatch that before I start Puppy Nowaki.**

**Yaoifangirl4ever- Thanks for the review, hope you are feeling better soon!**

**xMoyMoy- My Canadian homie… Psychologist might be the way to go, but there's always steady employment in nursing. Who knows, once you try the U you may find you like it. College is so different from High school (Thank god or I would have killed myself years ago). I liked it so much I never left (well okay for a bit… but you know academia has its advantages.) Glad you're expanding your character horizons and hanging with the E and the R in this fic as well. Makes me feel good that I pulled your heart strings for Misaki. And yeah, I happen to think Hiroki is a pretty noble guy and has balls, I hate it when writers make him out to be fem. I mean, have you heard how deep that guy voice is in the OVA? Nothing girly there.**

**Midnight Reader- so glad you are back, always miss your reviews when you're gone. Thank you for the amazing marathon of reviews. You and X deserve quite the props. I really appreciate the dedication. Wow, that's a lot of reading. What a great sis you are. Can you believe that Neko-Hiro is almost 150,000 words? I wonder where I could submit that? Maybe a PHD program for a thesis in popular culture/visual culture? Glad you like the inclusion of Shinoda, I have been having fun with him. I don't know if I'll have Nowaki meet him or not yet, we'll have to see how it goes. Looking out for your other reviews. And you said I taught you a new word, but didn't say what it was…**

**Maggie Mae from Penny Lane- so glad you joined us! Nice to see you here. Yes, the fic does start out rough. Animal advocacy is one of my passions, so that does inform this fic in large part. Well, now that I know you like foreplay, I'll be sure and write more of it into my fics. It can be such great fun after all! Glad you like Nowaki giving Hiroki a choice and with regards to emancipation, we'll see… Also, feel free to ramble away as that's what I do all the time.**

**Ichigo Kousei- The lemon will be coming soon. And thanks for favoriting me! Ichigo a boy! What about me, your genderless crush? *sigh* That's the problem with being genderless, I'm always being replaced by one sex or another. Some of my best friends are band geeks… Uh… because I'm so cool I can hang out with anybody. (right?) Love the Shinobu-ham. I once had a hamster named Steinbeck and another named Poe. Tells you what I was reading at the time I got them. No way as cool as Shinobu though (just ask xMoymoy).**

**xMoymoy- Shinobu-moy, I agree, Miyagi and Akihiko should hang out more. I'm trying to figure out a way to do that in some upcoming chapters of "The Uke Flu." Glad you enjoy my perverted mind. Falling for me? A brilliant high school student falling for an older eccentric but intelligent and passionate professor? xMoymoy-chin, are we having a terrorist moment? You know of course I'll have to reject your affections at first, but who knows… with your impassioned and biting reviews I'm sure you'll wear me down in no time. Yeah, plus Ichigo just dumped me for a boy. Like the home boi moniker, yeah… that could totally work.**

**Egoistfangirl- I love your reviews, your comments have more impact than you know. I too watch too many movies and am thrilled you directed me away from the cliché. Glad you like the alliteration. And the in and out line, yeah, that just came out of my own perverted head. Glad I have some place to put all that stuff with these FF otherwise I would go crazy. And please rest assured, anniversary sex has not been forgotten by the author.**

**X ( )- I am delighted to be able to fulfill your dreams with my seme dynamics. And I appreciate that you like how I have been laying the ground work for all my little twists. Makes it feel like a real story. As I said before, looking forward to your other reviews. You have set a great standard and encouraged a dialogue I haven't encountered on may other fics, so I shall bow to you here in thanks (insert bow).**

**Liz- just so you know, that whole neko warehouse/China thing evolved from your comment about wishing to save the nekos in the back of the knackers' van. You gave me the end for my story, which I didn't have at the time, so many, many thanks!**


	63. Escape II: Egoist, Romantica, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Sixty-Three: Escape II**

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><p>In the back of the van the huddled nekos were terribly anxious. Waves of neko calls were rising and falling outside.<p>

"I have a feeling something big is about to go down," Shinoda said.

Hiroki just nodded; he could feel it too.

Then another disconcerting sound was heard outside the van: it was Toma. "Here, pussy, pussy, pussy," the depraved youth called. "I'm coming to get you, you old ragged-eared tom."

"There are four of us," one of the other captive nekos said, "And just one of him, I say we try and take him down when he opens the door."

"No," Hiroki said firmly, "He has a gun." Then he looked over at the littlest neko. "And I don't want to take any chances of anyone else getting hurt."

"Fuck Shinji's orders." Toma drawled. "You're gonna' make me feel really good, right bitch?" The man's voice had drawn much closer.

"Look, if I go with him, see if there isn't something you can stick in the door as he closes it, so that it can't lock…" Hiroki leaned over and picked up a notebook that had fallen out of Misaki's pack, up from off of the floor. He tore off the thin cardboard cover.

"Like this," he said, handing it to the neko that had suggested the jump.

The neko looked unhappy, but after a glance at the tiny blonde kit in Shinoda's arms, he reluctantly nodded.

Then there was silence.

All the nekos held their breath as the latch clicked and the door swung open.

"Oh, fuck…" Hiroki breathed.

* * *

><p>Misaki was on his knees in front of Shinji, his head hung low, his whole body trembling. His slender shoulders shook from his gagging while at the same time his lungs were trying to draw furious breaths.<p>

His neko ears still burned with the violence of his attacker's grasp. It felt as though they'd almost been pulled from his head.

Shinji had demanded that he keep his eyes open while he was being violated. The thug had reveled in the devastated expression in the teen neko's big green eyes as he'd fucked Misaki's mouth.

Misaki closed his eyes and turned his head to the side, now that at last his throat was free from obstruction. This motion broke the glistening strand of saliva that had stood as a lingering connection between him and Shinji's cock.

"That was pretty good," Shinji laughed. "You've got a natural talent, Takahashi."

Despite how tightly he'd squeezed his eyes closed, attempting to seal himself off from the merciless visage of his tormentor, tears somehow still managed to find route for escape. As they rolled hotly down his smooth cheeks, Misaki only wished there were enough to wash him clean of his shame.

Shinji grabbed a fistful of Misaki's thick chocolate locks and pulled the traumatized neko to his feet. He turned and shoved the kit-teen simultaneously and in his self-induced blindness Misaki felt himself fall. His breath was forced from him again before he'd even regained it by the edge of Kato's desk.

Misaki cried out as his broken wrist was twisted again as Shinji forced his bound arms up, bending him over. The kitten could feel its cold slick surface against the bare skin of his belly, the hardened nubs of his six tiny nipples.

A cruel hand was grasping at the front of his pants and Misaki was actively sobbing now as he felt himself stripped of them. His tail whipped wildly, until a harsh hand grabbed it with a hold that Misaki felt sure would break it, and forced it over to the side.

The chocolate kit-teen bit his bottom lip till it bled. With the terrible realization that the unthinkable was really going to happen to him, Misaki determined, even if he had to bite his lip clear through, he was not going to allow his attacker the pleasure of a single sound from him. This only lasted, however, until he felt a vicious finger pierce him.

Misaki mewled in pain and terror. "Usaaaaagi!".

Shinji's finger suddenly stilled. The tough was perplexed by the kitten's exclamation. Then he leaned over Misaki, his hot, rancid breath drying the neko's wet cheek. "Don't worry, pussy. I'll fuck you like a rabbit, all night."

* * *

><p>"Tsumori?" Hiroki was incredulous.<p>

The new neko had been making his escape when he saw the youth approaching the back of the van. Tsumori heard what Toma was saying and as much as he wanted to run, he just couldn't leave those other nekos, including Hiro, trapped.

He had a lot of karma catch-up to do after all.

Tsumori snuck up behind Toma. The nekos crated around him had seen what was going on and began making a racket to cover his approach.

"Fucking bitches need to shut up…" Toma had been mumbling, when all of a sudden, he felt Tsumori's leash snake around his throat and found it pulled tight.

The courage he had lacked in that moment with Jun, Tsumori found access to now. In less than a minute, the man was lying unconscious at his feet. Then the cat-eared intern stepped over the man, his hands still shaking from the exertion of what he'd just done and slowly opened the door.

The captive nekos just sat there for a moment looking stunned. Hiroki glanced over through the grate at the empty front of the van and then back at the neko standing before him. "How in the hell did you get out?" He asked.

Tsumori looked down, a blush creeping up on his new neko cheeks. He shrugged and said, "Reooow."

"Who the fuck cares?" One of the other nekos cried. "We gotta' get out of here now!"

The four neko's clamored out of the van. Shinoda carried the little blonde kitten.

"No offense, Shinoda," one of the other nekos said, "but I think we should split up and either hide or try and get out. Not that I don't want us to all get away, but that little one you have is a serious liability."

"I understand," Shinoda said seriously. "Look, I'll be fine. You guys go ahead."

"What about him?" Hiroki asked, kicking the unconscious Toma who lay at his feet. "Shouldn't we at least throw him in the back of the van or something, before someone sees him and knows that we're gone?"

"Good idea, Kamijou," Shinoda said, "but you'd better move fast." The other nekos agreed and soon had Toma locked in the back of the van.

* * *

><p>As soon as the door closed, Tsumori and the other two nekos took off. Tsumori's limping pace was much slower than the other hybrids. The new neko looked back at Hiroki as he was moving away.<p>

Hiroki just nodded.

Tsumori's pained face took on a grave expression. He nodded in return and a few moments later turned down one of the rows and disappeared from sight.

Shinoda looked at Hiroki. "Are you going to come with us, Kamijou?" the beleaguered ex-agent neko asked. The little hybrid in his arms was sucking her thumb as she regarded Hiroki. Her tiny tail twitched as she studied him.

"I can't, Shinoda, I have to find Takahashi."

Shinoda looked disappointed, but nodded. "I understand. I hope I see you again sometime, Kamijou."

"Good luck, Shinoda." Hiroki offered his old lover a slight bow.

Shinoda understood in this moment that Hiroki had put him in the past and wanted for things to stay that way. He returned the Kamijou's gesture with a melancholic nod and turned to go.

And for the second time in their life, Shinoda and Hiroki parted ways.

* * *

><p>"Okay, you two enough!" Kato finally shouted at the two bloody knackers. Jun was down on the ground and Ren was standing unsteadily over him. The scar-faced tough had gotten the fire hose out, just in case the two idiots weren't ready to stop yet.<p>

"The trucks will be arriving soon so dump out whatever the fuck cats you're leaving and get out, unless you want to stay and help load them."

"He's fucking going to China, Jun," Ren said through broken teeth as he stood over the big knacker.

"Fine." Jun sadly conceded, his voice sounded nasally because of his broken nose.

Kato was getting nervous. He noticed how noisy the nekos were being, the stupid hybrids had been agitated all day. _"Well, even if they're animals, they know something's up."_

As he watched the little knacker help the big one up, he couldn't help but shake his head at the two idiots.

He pulled out his cell and started calling his crew, the other men he had posted both inside and out of the warehouse. Of the two dozen or so men, it was strange but only about a third of them picked up. "Get your ass here a.s.a.p., the trucks are coming soon," he told each and then commissioned them to find one of the other missing men.

Then Kato called the lead truck. Again, no one answered. "What the hell's going on?" he fumed.

What Kato didn't know was that outside the building, Officer Sato and his crew had intercepted the incoming trucks. Quickly realizing the true scope of the neko traffickers' operation, Sato had obtained the assistance of two more units and they had been quietly securing the outside of the warehouse. He'd also called in a special team from animal control who stood waiting by to assist with the nekos once they got inside.

* * *

><p>Inside, the nekos had made a modification of Shinobu's plan. The most able-bodied and bravest would switch cages with the others so that they were all in a row. Then all the nekos in that section would start to raise a terrible ruckus to draw the closest guard.<p>

As the guard entered the area where the commotion was occurring and drew past that section of cages, the team of fit cats would pounce simultaneously and take down their captor disabling him as much as they could. Once incapacitated, the guard would be locked in a crate. Then the row would fall silent as the displaced neko would double up with another as they returned to their tiny kennels, awaiting the final signal to bolt.

This way, the nekos sought to diminish Kato's forces so at the final moments, there would hopefully be less neko damage and a greater chance at freedom for everyone.

* * *

><p>Disturbed, Kato walked back to return the fire hose to its mount. He turned the corner around the edge of the office and almost collided with Hiroki. The professor had heard Misaki's cries and had been in such a rush to reach the kitten he was not being as cautious as he should have been.<p>

His eyes widened and he tried to dodge the scarred tough, but Kato was quicker, he grabbed Hiroki by the shirt and threw him to the ground.

"What the fuck!"

Kato's exclamation was echoed in stereo as the knackers had just opened their van to encounter the still unconscious Toma and no nekos.

Ren and Jun rushed back around to Kato. Jun was moving considerably slower than Ren, however. "The fucking nekos escaped!" Ren shouted at Kato as the scarred youth came back around the corner.

"No shit!" Kato pulled a dazed, but struggling Hiroki alongside him. One of Hiroki's arms pushed high up behind his back.

He shoved Hiroki to the ground again roughly, knocking the breath out of him.

Hiroki looked up at Kato and then over to the bloody faced knacker's looming above him.

"Where are the rest of those nekos, you stupid cat fuck," Kato snarled.

"I don't know," Hiroki gasped.

"Wrong answer, bitch! Let's try this again." Kato said coldly as he pulled out his gun.

Just then two shots, only moments apart, rang out in the vast space from another part of the warehouse.

* * *

><p>The Takatsuki kitten's brow was furrowed in concentration. Suddenly he heard the neko in the crate he was messing with say, "Leave it!"<p>

"No, I've almost got it," Shinobu growled in frustration.

"No, you don't understand!" the hybrid shouted, "You need to move now!"

Just then the latch finally gave.

"Ha!" Shinobu smiled, his ears switching forward. "I got it…"

That was the last thing he said before he heard a tremendous _bang!_ and felt himself thrown powerfully down. He heard a softer _crack_ as his head hit the hard cement floor and everything suddenly went black.

* * *

><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**Okay, here's how spoiled you all are; you get two chapters today.**

**Have you had enough drama? **

**Well, there will be a scene or two of quiet cleanup, but we should be well into Lemon-land by the weekend. I may take tomorrow off from the story, but we'll see. You know I started writing this in July and don't think I have missed a day of posting since the story began. Woof… no wonder I feel a bit tired.**

**Siriusstarruth- thanks for the alert/favoriting!**

**Midoritenchi90, Yaoilover796, FreshPrinceLover, Demoncookie8D, Moonlight at Dusk- do I even need to say it? Yes, of course... Thank you!**

**Silverlockets- you're new… Thank you for the review!**

**Sola-usagi- you're new too. What a plaintive cry for poor Misaki!**

**Madame Masquerade 64- your 'gangly' legs comment made me laugh!**

**Nadiwa Yagari- I appreciate your honesty, glad to have pulled you back into the story. Curious as to how you will like it.**

**Yaoifngirl4ever- once again hope you are on the mend.**

**Lillemmi- read the chapters and tell me if you still want to spank Tsumori.**

**Ichigo Kousei- Love your passion! It pleases me that I can cause you conflicting emotions (is that wrong?) Thank you for the PR and have your friend drop a line. Also, hope you like how things are shaping up.**

**I. AM . LEGEND- there will be a few more SIH references before the fic is over. I am a big fan of cross overs as you may know from my "The Uke Flu." Also, thank you for the longer reviews, I love them. I did see the review before, but it had you as anonymous, so I'm glad to know who left the delicious review.**

**Kirakrz- Review as you can, just know I am always happy to see them!**

**Alecritique- Love that you've joined us! Wow, four hours… I'm honored! Yes, the smut is great, but a little story thrown in is even better, I think. That's how I write- the things that I would like to read myself, mostly. I really enjoy both those authors. **

**Egoistfangirl, I am curious to see what you think of how I resolved things. Hiroki, Tsumori, Misaki. **

**You know, for Misaki- you shouldn't tempt me by saying you didn't think I'd allow him to really be violated…You tell me what I won't do and I will just go out and do it… is that pride or pigheadedness… perhaps both. I was going to do a lot more to him, but your impassioned plea made me merciful (kind of). **

**There will be a few more SIH references, so keep your eye out.**

**Puppyfacetwo- glad you caught up! You too, Maggie Mae from Penny Lane! (It did get a bit mission impossible) Hope you reach us soon, Losersquad, but don't lose too much sleep.**

**X( )- curious to hear what you think of the new chapts.**

**Avery- thank you for the review in the midst of your new school season. Poetry can be wonderful, It just depends on what you're reading. Glad you like the SIH. I am a bit of a yaoi fanatic. So what are the favorites? You and anyone else can answer… I am always looking for new things. Just finished Dog Style- tall uke which I liked, though their grinning faces were disconcerting. Also just came across Café Latte Rhapsody, which was recommended by a reader/writer. Very sweet and a very tall (taller than Nowaki by like 10 cent.) , shy, innocent seme. I like these twists, you know. **


	64. Rescue: Romantica, Egoist, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Sixty Four: Rescue**

* * *

><p>Shinji had just pulled his finger from the Takahashi kitten and was bumping the end of his dick up against the small cat's pink portal when he heard the office door open behind.<p>

He didn't bother to turn around and see who it was; he was so engaged in entertaining himself. "What the fuck, Toma, how many times have I told you to knock? Besides, asshole, I said I'd let you know when I was done. Did you and Jiro find that escaped little fucker?"

Just then Shinji stopped his assault and his head popped up as two shots sounded outside. "Well, I guess that answers that question. Now get the fuck out!"

The thug stopped again and his cock suddenly started to droop and his balls retract, when he felt a piece of cold steel pressed against the back of his head and heard a distinct click, as the hammer of the gun nuzzling his skull was pulled back.

Shinji immediately raised his hands, "Look, Toma, I said I would share. I haven't really even popped him yet, just fingers. You can go first if you want." Shinji kept his eyes forward, his normally cruel solid voice was suddenly shaky.

The tattooed youth's eyes widened when the voice that issued behind him was one he didn't know. The low cool tones did nothing to hide the speaker's fury. "Get your dick away from my Misaki!"

The pressure from the gun was lifted from Shinji's skin momentarily. Just long enough for it to be brought down hard, rendering Misaki's rapist unconscious.

Akihiko stepped over and quickly grabbed a slip-tie from the desk, securing the thug's arms behind his back and then immediately kicked the man away from Misaki's shivering frame.

He did a quick pat down of Shinji and found the knife. He flipped this open and cut the ties that bound Misaki's thin arms. He immediately noticed the kitten's wrist, it had swollen so much that the tie had bitten into it mercilessly. The poor neko's fingers on that hand were starting to turn blue.

Misaki wouldn't turn around to look at his owner. He just pulled his aching arms around, crossed them over his head hiding his face, and his small body began to convulse with soul wracking sobs.

Seeing Misaki like this Akihiko's heart was broken.

* * *

><p>He had panicked when the GPS had suddenly quit, but kept running hoping that his luck would hold. As Usagi he possessed two rabbit's feet after all.<p>

Akihiko was getting more and more agitated as, everywhere he went, he was pursued by noise from the caged nekos surrounding him. He had taken a few wrong turn and was headed away from the office when he finally heard Misaki's cry.

Around him the caged nekos started to call to him.

"Silence, you stupid creatures! I have to find my kitten!" He yelled, not caring if a human guard might hear

The cages around him fell silent. Then one voice shouted at him quite clearly.

"That's what we're trying to tell you, you arrogant asshole, if you would just clean out your fucking ears and listen."

"What?" Akihiko was stunned.

"Follow the voices 'super seme' and they'll lead you to him," the angry voice growled.

Suddenly realizing in that instant what the neko was telling him, Akihiko felt quite humbled. It was rather a new experience for him and he found it quite uncomfortable. Akihiko's sharp eyes had located the kennel of the harsh talking neko

"Thank you," he said sincerely. Looking into the vocal hybrid's crate he felt compelled to ask, "and you are?"

A terribly tangled, silver-blond longhair wearing broken spectacles stared back at him with furious eyes. "Tatsumi Souichi, not that it matters," the matted hybrid huffed.

Then getting even more annoyed the Tatsumi shouted, "Okay, enough with the intros, Idiot…Just fucking go save your damn uke!"

Once he started listening to the nekos, they guided Akihiko quickly to the office, more easily than any GPS.

* * *

><p>Now, Akihiko stepped over to Misaki.<p>

The kitten hadn't moved and was still bent over Kato's desk, his thin frame wracked with trembling. Akihiko pulled Misaki's trousers up being extra careful as he threaded Misaki's tail through the hybrid-hole in the back. He ran a cool hand tenderly down the kitten's heaving back, before he took off his coat and draped it over Misaki's slender shoulders.

"Misa-kitty, that man that touched you…" Akihiko saw Misaki's tremors increase. Misaki crumpled to his knees, sobbing. He pulled the author's coat around him with his good hand as if wanting to disappear completely inside of it.

Akihiko grimaced at the effect of his words. He struggled to find new ones. He'd never been adept at comforting.

"Misaki, I know you're hurt, but you're safe now. I'm going to get you to the vet's and he'll fix you up." He reached down to set a comforting hand on the neko's shaking shoulders.

"D… don't t…t-touch me, Usagi-san, I'm d-dirty," Misaki sobbed. "I'll never be g-good enough for you now… s-so j-just leave me."

Akihiko was stunned by Misaki's words. It had never occurred to that Misaki had considered himself an unworthy pet or that his kitten would think that what had happened would make him so. If anything, he had become aware that if anyone was inadequate, here, corrupted, it was him. He had been a poor owner and a miserable protector of two hybrids now.

_My pride and condescension have reduced Misaki to this._

Akihiko could not pardon himself for what he had done or all the pain this had caused his kitten.

The author slipped his arms under the kitten and pulled Misaki up. He turned his neko around, facing him.

Misaki moved his good arm, to cover his face.

"Look at me, Misaki," Akihiko whispered softly. "It's okay, it's just me."

"I can't look because it is you…" Misaki sobbed harder.

The author gently forced the chocolate cat's arm down. He took Misaki's chin in his hand.

"Misaki, I am so sorry for what has happened to you. And, I want you to know you are priceless to me and nothing that happens will ever diminish your value in my eyes."

Akihiko realized this was not some line from of his novels; when he said these words he really meant them.

Hearing this spoken to him so gently by Usagi-san, Misaki collapsed into Akihiko's arms. Akihiko sank with Misaki to the floor and arranged the kitten in his lap. Misaki wept brokenly against the author's chest.

Akihiko stroked his neko's aching ears with his long cool fingers. "Don't ever think that any of this was your fault, Misaki, because it wasn't." The silver-seme tipped his kitten's face up once more and leaned in to kiss Misaki.

"N-no, Usagi-san," Misaki whispered turning his face away, "that… m-man… my… m-mouth."

"All the more reason, Misaki." Akihiko gently pulled Misaki's face back to his. His lips covered Misaki's.

Misaki could never understand how Usagi-san's big hands could constantly be so cool, but his lips always so warm. He resisted a moment more but then found his shame being melted away by the heat of his owner's kiss. Misaki opened his mouth to the comfort of the man and was shocked to feel Akihiko's tongue lick the roof of his mouth. It was as if with each sweep, each gentle probe, Usagi-san was trying to cleanse his palette from his terrible experience, that Usagi-san was trying to pull the taste of Shinji from his mouth and into his own.

When he at last broke their kiss, Akihiko gently kissed Misaki's forehead and pulled the exhausted neko into him once more.

"I love you, Misaki."

"I… I l-love you too, Usagi-san," Misaki whispered.

They sat there a moment in healing silence. Then Akihiko shifted and started to pull them both up together. "I have to get you out of here, Misaki."

He started to lead Misaki out of the room, but the youth resisted. "My backpack," Misaki whispered, looking over his shoulder. "It was l-laying next to… that… m- m-man."

"I'll buy you a new one," Akihiko soothed. "Come on, let's go."

"But m-my … my m-mom…s-she gave it to me," Misaki stammered. The surface of his green eyes shimmered with yet unshed tears as he looked up at his owner.

Akihiko said nothing. He just nodded and gave his kitten a sad smile. It was hard for him to relinquish his hold on Misaki for even a moment, but he did. He walked over and retrieved the pack from where it lay, next to Shinji's sprawled legs.

Misaki clutched it tightly to his chest. Akihiko pulled his coat tighter around the kitten's shoulder's and then picked Misaki up. Misaki did not resist, he just sunk into his owner's comforting embrace.

Akihiko opened the door and together they left Kato's office.

* * *

><p>When the shots rang out, Kato's head had jerked up, Ren and Jun's had followed. "What the fuck?" the scarred youth shouted in alarm.<p>

Hiroki's heart clenched with fear that Jiro had located Shinobu and what those shots might portend, but timing of the distraction was perfect. In an instant, he lunged at Kato's legs, knocking the man backwards. As he tumbled, the gun flew out of Kato's hand and skittered across the floor.

At that same moment the air shook with another loud sound. It was war cry of a very angry, tall seme.

"HIRO-SAN!"

"DON'T YOU TOUCH MY HIRO-SAN!" Nowaki roared. He had come around the corner just in time to see Ren and Jun lunging after Hiroki.

With a flying tackle, he took both men down. Ren was trapped under Jun's crushing weight.

Seeing those two men again leering over his beloved, Nowaki was experiencing a little PTSD of his own. He had by no means forgotten their previous encounter. There was a sudden resounding crack, as the tall man shoved Jun's arm up behind the big man's back hard, breaking it without hesitation.

Jun screeched in anguish. Ren was yelling too.

"I told you at Tsumori's that I would hurt you if you didn't leave Hiro-san alone!" Nowaki was unmoved by the cries of the two men beneath him. He pummeled both of them indiscriminately, not caring on which man his blows fell.

"You should have listened to my warning… I am a man of my word after all!"

When he was sure that neither man would be rising any time soon, Nowaki rushed over to Kato.

As soon as Kato had fallen and his gun dropped away, Hiroki had climbed on top of the tough and was giving him a feline smackdown of his own. He'd had enough of this inhuman treatment, and was pouring his feelings about this through his fists into Kato's already damaged face.

Hiroki was shocked when a big hand unexpectedly pulled him off. He drew back to lash out at the touch until he realized it was Nowaki. He watched as Nowaki grabbed Kato by the throat and moved rapidly, carrying the smaller man by his neck like a ragdoll to the nearest wall and slammed the gangster against it. Kato hit the wall with such force that he was immediately knocked out, the last thing heard before losing consciousness was Nowaki's low voice saying, "And no one, pulls a gun on my Hiro-san, unless he's intent on dying himself!"

"Nowaki!"

The sound of Hiroki panting behind him cut through Nowaki's red-colored state of seme consciousness. He released his grip on Kato's throat and watched the man slide down the wall folding into a crumpled heap on the floor.

Nowaki turned and moved over to Hiroki. The cinnamon catman found himself caught up in a crushing embrace.

"Ribs…ribs.. Nowaki!" Hiroki gasped.

Nowaki pulled back a little, looking slightly embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, Hiro-san, I was just so worried." His blue eyes were filled with concern. They scanned Hiroki over from head to toe. He brushed a warm gentle finger across the cut at the side of the neko's mouth where Shinji had hit him. "Are you okay, Hiro-san?"

Hiroki gave Nowaki a scowl and his ears flickered in false irritation. "I'm fine. Didn't you see me thrashing that guy?" Hiroki drew his slender frame up proudly, his tail adopted a dignified curl.

"Honestly, Nowaki, you should know by now that I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my… umph."

Hiroki's rant was cut short as Nowaki clasped his hybrid to him and enveloped Hiroki's mouth an impassioned kiss.

Hiroki couldn't help it, it just felt so good to be in Nowaki's arms again. He allowed the man to continue his oral embrace. In fact, his tail slipped around and cupped one of Nowaki's ass cheeks, pulling the man even closer to him.

Nowaki broke the kiss. His shaggy black head popped up in surprise at the touch of Hiroki's ardent tail.

"Hiro-san!" His voice was filled with a combination of shock and pleasure.

"I love you, Hiro-san." Nowaki forgot for a moment and squeezed Hiroki tighter again.

"I love you too, you big goof," Hiroki muttered. He could feel the red hue even now creeping into his cheeks.

Despite the fact it was a bit difficult to breathe, there was nothing more that Hiroki would have liked to do than to dissolve into Nowaki's embrace for about a hundred years. Not that he would admit this. But there was still the issue of the two kittens, not to mention the whole fucked up neko trafficking situation.

Hiroki pulled reluctantly back.

"We have to help Misaki and then go find Shinobu." Hiroki knew Misaki's situation was dire and he didn't want to say anything to Nowaki yet about what he feared might have happened to the poor caramel kitten.

"Of course, Hiro-san, let's go." Nowaki followed Hiroki and the two started back towards the office.

* * *

><p>Shinobu was coming back.<p>

The back of his head hurt like a bastard where it had connected with the hard concrete. Shinobu opened one eye slowly. His back ached terribly and he felt a tremendous weight on his chest. It was hard to breathe. His eyes closed again.

Shinobu felt something warm and wet covering his chest and dripping over the sides of his ribcage. He couldn't move one of his arms. Without opening his eyes, he moved the arm that he could and touched tentative fingers to his shirt feeling the thick, sticky dampness. He pulled his hand back and reluctantly, half-opened one eye again. His fingers were covered in blood.

At this realization, both of Shinobu's eyes popped wide open and he immediately tried to sit up, but couldn't. That was when he realized the reason his chest felt so heavy and his one arm couldn't move was that there was someone lying on top of him.

Looking down he saw a thick black tail give a feeble twitch and realized it was Miyagi.

The big neko had come around the corner on the opposite end of the row from Jiro just in time to see the trafficker take aim at his Takatsuki kitten. The old tom, didn't give even an instant to thought, he had just come barreling down the walkway and dove at Shinobu, knocking him down just as the gun had gone off.

Moments after the gun had fired, just as Jiro was preparing to put another bullet into the tangled pair, half a dozen freed nekos from another row appeared. They had been alerted through the vine as to what was going down with the Takatsuki cat. They attacked Jiro, though the trafficker got another shot off just grazing one of the attacking neko's arms, before he was overpowered.

After their terrible treatment at the hands of the gangster, the nekos held nothing back. By the time they finally pulled themselves off, Jiro lay bloody and barely breathing on the ground. Two of the hybrids grabbed the battered bad guy and began dragging him down to one of the empty crates to lock him into it.

Another two nekos began opening the latches on the rest of the crates in the row, while the last two, big dark-haired seme toms like Miyagi, hurried over to the stilled professor and the collapsed kitten.

"Miyagi?" Shinobu had whispered as soon as he recognized the big neko. The old tom's name had become like a mantra for him.

"Miyagi… Miyagi… Miyagi…" Every time he uttered it the name was said louder, by the time the two big nekos got to the pair, Shinobu was yelling the huge hybrid's name repeatedly. "Miyagi!"

Shinobu stopped as soon as he felt one of the other tom's warm hands on his forehead. "Hush, kitten, I'm sure the guards have heard the shots and will be here any second, so we don't have much time" Seeing how frightened this made the small caramel cat, the big hybrid sighed. He had never been known for his subtly in times of crisis. Still he added, trying to soothe the small neko, "but we've told the vine and the other nekos are going to try and hold them off as long as they can."

"Miyagi's been shot! You have to help him!" Shinobu sobbed. His free hand reached down to stroke one of Miyagi's tufted ears.

"Look, kit, my name is Takano," The big tom nodded over to the male on the other side of Shinobu, "and that's Yokozawa. We're going to try and move Miyagi-san off you, okay?"

Yokozawa looked gravely at Takano, "He's still breathing, but it's shallow." He looked down at the kitten and nodded.

Trying to hold back his tears, Shinobu nodded too. "Just please don't hurt him any more, okay?"

"He's bleeding pretty badly," Yokozawa said as he stripped off his tattered shirt and tried to use it to staunch the blood leaking from the noir neko's shoulder.

Carefully the two toms rolled Miyagi over. Shinobu started weeping again when Miyagi groaned softly.

"What about you? Are you okay?" Takano asked; his voice was very concerned. The front of the kitten was soaked almost black with blood. The bullet had entered the back of Miyagi's shoulder and come out the front of his chest, so that part of the wound had actually been bleeding more profusely.

Shinobu shook his head; he didn't know and he didn't care. The only thing he knew was his mate was possibly, mortally injured. He crawled over to Miyagi and positioned himself so that the big tom's shaggy head was in his lap. Tears were falling freely from his eyes as he stroked Miyagi's increasingly pale cheek.

A tear dropped on one of Miyagi's closed eyelids.

Miyagi's eyes slowly fluttered open and he looked up at the kitten leaning down overhead. The old tom weakly reached up the hand he could move and a long finger brushed Shinobu's wet cheek.

"I swear, Brat, you are the cryingest kitten I ever saw." Miyagi's voice was weak.

Shinobu wept even harder.

"Look in my breast pocket, Shinobu," Miyagi gasped.

The kitten put his hand on Miyagi's pocket and scowl came onto his face, he even almost stopped crying for a minute. "I can't believe you Miyagi" Shinobu grumbled. "I am not giving you a cigarette right now, that's the last thing you need."

"No, Brat, look behind the pack,"

Shinobu slipped his fingers into the pocket and pulled out the small bloodstained paper bag. He knew immediately what it was. "Miyagi…" His voice was a whisper.

"Shinobu-chin, will you please take my old collar off and put that one on me please?" Miyagi's voice was earnest, though he sounded so very tired.

"Miyagi," Shinobu hiccupped. Fresh tears baptized the older hybrid's forehead.

"Please, Kitten?" Miyagi's voice was little more than a whisper.

With trembling fingers, Shinobu unclasped Sensei's collar and put his around Miyagi's proud throat. He rested his small hand atop Miyagi's shoulder.

Miyagi lowered his hand from the wee kit's cheek to touch the collar, and then laid his large paw over Shinobu's small one.

"I love you, Shinobu-chin."

"I love you too, Miyagi," Shinobu sobbed.

Miyagi closed his eyes and sighed, "You know I always thought you'd be the death of me, Kitten." A small smile twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Don't even say that, you stupid old cat!" Shinobu yelled, grabbing the hand that had covered his and squeezing it tight.

Several other nekos had come out of their crates and were now standing around Shinobu and the wounded Miyagi.

Another neko came barreling around the corner wild-eyed. He saw the crowd and almost immediately turned on his heels. For a moment it looked like he was going to return to the direction he'd just come from. But he stopped short when he heard Takano say to the gathering hybrids, "I don't suppose any of you have any medical training? I used to work in publishing so this is a little out of my league."

The winded hybrid seemed about ready to fly again. Then he settled back on his heels and sighed, rubbing his brow.

Shinobu looked up through his tears to see the battered blonde from the van pushing his way through the other nekos.

Tsumori looked at the fading noir neko and then at Takano and nodded his head. The new neko offered the big ex-editor tom a resigned, "Yow," and then knelt down next to Miyagi.

* * *

><p>Hiroki and Nowaki had just reached the door to Kato's office when Akihiko stepped out carrying Misaki.<p>

"Ah, you're just in time," Akihiko greeted.

Nowaki and Hiroki looked at the silver-back with similar expressions of puzzlement on their fine features.

"In time for what?" Hiroki asked warily.

Akihiko ignored his question and stepped up to Nowaki.

"Kusama-san, would you do me the favor of looking after Misaki for a minute?" Akihiko passed the still hiccupping kitten over into the tall man's arms.

Only the barest flicker of irritation cross Akihiko's handsome face when Misaki wrapped his arms around Nowaki's neck, his tail around the man's waist, and buried his face into the young intern's shoulder, as new set of sobs shook his slender frame.

Nowaki gathered Misaki up tighter in his arms and murmured soft soothing sounds to Misaki.

Akihiko handed Hiroki Misaki's back pack. The neko professor found himself momentarily annoyed by the implications of the man's division of labor.

Akihiko opened the door to the office again as he pulled out his gun.

Hiroki's eyes widened as he could see the bound Shinji on the floor coming to through the open door.

"Akihiko, what do you think you're doing?" Hiroki breathed, waving Nowaki and the Misaki away. Nowaki nodded and started moving rapidly away from the office.

"Well, you know, Old Cat, while I am not generally one for littering my speech with references to popular culture, I think 'going medieval'* might best describe it," Akihiko said grimly.

Before Hiroki could utter another word of protest or reason, Akihiko stepped into the office and firmly closed the door behind him, locking it.

Hiroki covered his ears and quickly headed after Nowaki as he could hear the now conscious Shinji starting to beg.

Even holding his ears, Hiroki heard three shots, the tattooed man screaming louder after each retort. Then after the fourth shot there was nothing but silence.

Akihiko emerged from the office a few moments later and joined them. He seemed entirely unaffected.

Nowaki had a completely shocked look on his face. He'd tried to cover Misaki ears as best he could when he realized what was happening. Hiroki was visibly shaking.

Akihiko looked at the two coolly. "Finger, wrist, cock, heart," he relayed casually.

"As I said before, no one fucks with my Misaki but me."

Nowaki and Hiroki were silent. What could they possibly say to that? Even if they had tried, they would have immediately been rendered speechless again by the scene that unfolded before them, as they moved back out in to the open space of the warehouse near the van.

Kato's remaining men had come round another corner to meet the trucks that would never be arriving now. The moment they saw their boss, and the two knackers a cry of alarm went up among them. The instant this occurred, there was a rush of noise as dozens upon dozens of crates suddenly opened and a mass of hurling hybrids shot forth enveloping them all.

The men never stood a chance. Even Ren and Jun, debilitated as they were, were immediately fallen on by a pile of nekos who hadn't forgotten their ride of horror or the abuse measured out to them in the back of the knackers' van. Toma too, was pulled from the vehicle and set to. It was a terrible scene.

Pushing their way through the throngs of nekos, (the vine had passed word of the three semes) Akihiko and Nowaki were able to move through the milling cats relatively unmolested.

They paused for a moment so that Nowaki could pass Misaki back to Akihiko. The chocolate kitten was still shivering, but he'd become quite quiet and docile.

"Shock," Nowaki explained.

The three older males all studied the subdued kit-teen with concern.

"We just need to find Shinobu now," Hiroki said, having found his voice again.

A small black-haired kittenish neko with a broken arm overheard what Hiroki had said. "Are you looking for General Takatsuki?" the Kisa hybrid asked.

"General?" Hiroki snorted, but then seeing the look of disapproval in the tiny neko's dark bown eyes, he cleared his throat. "Yes."

"You're his friend, right, and the two human semes?" Kisa peered at them apprehensively.

The three males nodded.

"Okay," the one-winged neko seemed satisfied with this. "Follow me."

As soon as they came upon the scene of Shinobu and Miyagi, Nowaki immediately rushed to assist Tsumori.

Nowaki was shocked when he realized the bruised blond neko helping Miyagi was actually his old senpai. But he took it pretty well in stride, this had been a crazy week after all, and in a medical emergency one had to be able to put personal feelings aside.

"I've stopped the bleeding or at least slowed it for the moment, I think, but he needs emergency surgery, stat. If he doesn't get some serious medical attention soon, he's not going to make it." Tsumori said, though it came out as "merrrow yip yow, reep roowr meep meooowyow."

"Got it," Nowaki said. He pulled out his phone. "I'll get an ambulance here right away."

"Hybrid med response is terribly slow," Takano observed.

Nowaki just shook his head, he was so sick of neko injustice.

Hearing what Takano had said, Akihiko intervened. "Kusama, call this number," the author quickly relayed a string of digits. "Then give me your phone. It's a private hospital, I'll be sure they waive their no neko policy."

Nowaki did as was asked, even holding his cell to Akihiko's ear so that the silver-seme could continue holding Misaki.

After a few minutes of heated discussion, Akihiko signed off. "They're on their way," he said looking into Shinobu's huge tombstone gray eyes.

The sorrow stricken kitten looked back down at Miyagi. The old tom had not said anything since he'd last closed his eyes. Shinobu continued to stroke his mate's clammy brow. "You better stay with me, you stubborn old Tom," Shinobu whispered.

Then everyone gathered around the big tom started when a loud megaphone voice filled the warehouse. "This is the Tokyo Police!"

* * *

><p><strong>NEW AN: <strong>

**Loophutton, your faithfulness shall be rewarded.**

**Ashley Tangerine, so happy to see you back!**

**OLD AN:**

**Don't cry kittens. The story isn't over yet!**


	65. After: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Sixty-Five: After**

It was Saturday afternoon around two o'clock. Hiroki slowly opened his large russet eyes and was greeted with the afternoon sun streaming in through the bedroom window. He closed his eyes again, sighed, and rolled over, his hand seeking the spot where Nowaki should be. Instead of Nowaki, his searching fingers closed on a piece of paper. It was a note.

Reluctantly Hiroki opened his eyes. Though it took them a moment to focus, he was eventually able to read the short missive that Nowaki had left.

_Dear Hiro-san,_

_I had to go to work at the flower shop at noon, the Yamamoto wedding is tomorrow, so they really needed my help. I should be home by six tonight so we can start celebrating our anniversary then. Get good rest because I think we may be pulling another all-nighter (only this one should be a lot more fun). _

_I love you Hiro-san_

_Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo_

_Nowaki_

_p.s. I love you, Hiro-san!_

_p.s. p.s. I love you, Hiro-san!_

_p.s. p.s. p.s. I love you, Hiro-san!_

_N._

Hiroki couldn't help but smile at the big idiot's note. Nowaki was such a goof.

The cinnamon neko pulled the note under the blanket with him and clutched it close to his heart. Then he pulled the blankets over his head and allowed himself the luxury of drifting, reveling in the peace of the room and the secure comfort of Nowaki's (well, now, "their" bed). He couldn't even begin to measure the gratitude he felt for this moment of tranquility, given the fact that less than twenty four hours before he didn't know if he would ever even see Nowaki again.

As he lay there, Hiroki reflected on the events of the previous day. So much had happened it was hard to even really comprehend.

* * *

><p>Once the police and animal control arrived, everything became quite chaotic for a time, while things were straightened out. The authorities found they needed more ambulances than squad cars to cart the traffickers away as the nekos had given them such a vicious beating. Ren and Jun were unrecognizable after their assault, though both men were still alive (just barely).<p>

Officer Sato's forces immediately had set guards around the perimeter of the warehouse too, to keep the loose nekos from slipping away before they could be recorded and processed and their testimony against the gangsters collected.

Besides, animal control was certainly not about to let hundreds of sick and mentally traumatized hybrids just wander off back into the city. The guard also helped keep the press outside as this was the largest hybrid trafficking bust to date and people were always suckers for news stories about pets.

Of course, given Nowaki's nature, he volunteered to help as much as he could: there were so many ill and injured nekos.

After all they'd been through, Hiroki wasn't about to go anywhere without his partner… um, owner, so of course he stayed too.

As Nowaki helped administer first aid to the sick and wounded nekos, Hiroki worked with him, helping as he could. Eventually someone asked him to help with the recording of names and processing, so Hiroki was given a laptop and went to do that instead. Though he hated leaving Nowaki's side, in a way he was also relived as he was far more comfortable around bookwork than blood.

There had been over fifteen hundred nekos in that warehouse.

Most were strays. The homeless neko situation in Tokyo had become rather dire. The bad economy had left a lot of people without the means to adequately support their pets and so many were just abandoning them in parks and old buildings, like Shinoda's owners had.

There were other nekos that had owners, hybrids who had just been picked up off the street (cat-napped, as it were), and there were quite a few ferals. The ferals gave the authorities the most problems; some even had to be sedated.

But for the most part, thanks to the highly honed vine dynamic that had developed during their incarceration, the nekos on the whole managed themselves quite well. Those that were fit enough helped those that weren't. Lines were arranged and fallen into. Food was brought in and portable bathing units, cots and blankets, so that the cat people could be made more comfortable as their fates were decided.

In fact, after the initial attack on the gangsters and the confusion caused when the authorities first arrived and had to get things organized, for the most part the whole thing was very orderly: they were Japanese nekos after all.

Proof to the power of money, Akihiko's ambulance arrived before any other. There was a bit of a scuffle, when they tried to keep Shinobu from riding with Miyagi initially after the big neko had been loaded up. Fortunately, Miyagi had Shinobu's collar on him, so the catboy could claim he was the noir neko's partner. Though you could tell from the expression of the EMTs they didn't approve of the age difference.

Akihiko and Misaki went in that ambulance as well. Akihiko wanted to get Misaki's wrist attended to and get his kitten checked out after the abuse his poor pet had suffered.

Akihiko called Nowaki's cell later and Hiroki answered it. Nowaki had been in the midst of cleaning a particularly nasty kennel sore on some poor neko's side. Hiroki learned then that Miyagi had made it through the emergency surgery, but was still in critical condition. There was a ways to go before they knew if the big hybrid would pull through or not.

Hiroki also found out that once Misaki was stabilized, Akihiko had first called the Usami family lawyer and then the police and turned himself in for shooting Shinji.

The Usamis' lawyer was so slick however, and the author so rich, that the silver-seme was already out on bail.

* * *

><p>While the trauma and suffering of the captive nekos was overwhelming and hard to process, once that the nekos were freed, good things had happened too.<p>

It was heartwarming to see the tiny blonde kit Hiroki had met in the van reunited with her parents. They had been snared by some other knackers the day before, which was why they hadn't tried to find and free her when she'd fallen into Ren and Jun's trap.

The cinnamon hybrid observed this from a distance. Hiroki felt a bit bad for Shinoda who was there at the reunion. The suave blond neko seemed rather downcast after the little girl had left with her parents, waving at the ex-real estate agent from over her daddy's shoulder as her joyously tearful parents had carried her away.

Later however, Hiroki saw Shinoda in an animated conversation with Officer Sato. Even from where he sat at the processing table, Hiroki could see the two were connecting quite well. Maybe Shinoda would leave this whole ordeal with a new owner. Hiroki hoped so.

While Hiroki was delighted with his lovely Nowaki and wouldn't trade the tall goof for anything, Shinoda wasn't a bad cat after all.

As soon as the news broke about the hybrid situation, hundreds of owners whose nekos had gone missing thronged the warehouse trying to find out if their beloved pet was inside.

Those nekos whose masters had been vigilante enough to have their hybrids micro-chipped were lucky. Animal control had portable scanners and began contacting owners immediately as soon as their scans showed up.

Hiroki wondered if he should talk to Nowaki later and see if they could get him chipped. It kind of made sense after all they'd been through.

One of the first nekos returned was the matted white long-hair Tatsumi, Souichi, though he didn't seem all that appreciative about it.

The grouchy long-hair stuck out to Hiroki because Akihiko had mentioned the neko's name when Hiroki had spoken with him on the phone. Akihiko said he wanted to make sure that the Tatsumi was properly cared for if he turned out to be a stray. Hiroki was quite shocked by the man's concern and wondered what it was about that particular cat that interested him.

At any rate, the Tatsumi neko was apparently a graduate student working in agricultural science who had been nabbed by knackers walking home alone, late one night from the lab. The long-hair's owner, a lovely looking fellow named Morinaga, was beside himself to the point of tears at being reunited with his missing pet.

Rather than reciprocate his eager owner's embrace however, Souichi's ears flattened and his tail (which Hiroki imagined, when it wasn't all matted and dirty was probably quite exquisite looking) immediately fluffed.

"Not here, you idiot!" Souichi shouted and promptly beaned his owner on the head.

Once Morinaga released his long lost neko, Souichi had stood there furiously with his arms crossed as his tall brunet owner clipped a lead to his collar.

"Is that really necessary?" Hiroki had asked the Tatsumi's seme, as Morinaga signed for his pet.

"Ah, it was mandated by animal control a while ago." Morinaga blushed, embarrassed for his neko. "You see, Senpai has a bit of a temper problem and he's _accidentally_ attacked people in the past."

"I see." Hiroki suddenly noticed all the old scratch scars on Morinaga's arms as the young man filled out his paper work.

"My owner is a pervert," the Tatsumi cat hissed.

Hiroki looked at the long-hair and sighed, "Aren't they all."

"And I'm not an uke either," the white-blond uke neko insisted.

The cinnamon neko just stared at the feline senpai a moment and then said, "Yeah, right," not sounding at all convinced. Hiroki looked past the closeted hybrid and called, "Next!"

Several hours later, when he'd gone to find Nowaki, Hiroki had been surprised that the young intern was working with Dr. Ochi from the clinic. Just seeing the veterinarian there had made his stitched ear itch. It turned out that the doctor, due to his interest in abuse cases, volunteered with animal control and had rushed to the warehouse as soon as he'd received a call from them about the situation.

Tsumori also had continued to assist with the medical treatment of the rescued nekos, though it was rather obvious that the new neko was in dire need of some assistance himself.

Dr. Ochi, while impressed with the human hybrid's altruism, was trying to get Tsumori to stop and let him have a look at him when Hiroki came upon the scene.

Hiroki wondered after seeing the way that Dr. Ochi was looking at Tsumori, if the cat- eared intern might not also soon be finding himself a new home. Although the case for the new neko was a bit less clean cut than it would be for the rest of the true hybrids there at the scene.

As Doctor Ochi was tending to Tsumori, Officer Sato came up.

The policeman had been talking with Nowaki earlier and had mentioned Tsumori and his transformation. It turned out that in searching for the missing intern, Sato had discovered that the old Tsumori had some warrants out: gambling violations, things related to his pimping Hiroki out, etc.

The Officer and the Vet exchanged some heated words about where Tsumori now most belonged. Dr. Ochi wanted to take Tsumori to the clinic for treatment and observation and Officer Sato wanted to take the human hybrid to jail.

From Hiroki's perspective, however, it looked as though, despite their arguing, there was a definite chemistry taking place between those two human males too.

Hiroki had no desire to hang around and find out what was going to happen to Tsumori. He'd reached a place of resolution for himself with what had happened… he hoped… only time would truly tell… But even so, Hiroki was by no means prepared to spend any more time around that creature than he had to.

There was so much to do there at the warehouse that Hiroki and Nowaki didn't even made it home to the apartment until six a.m. that morning. At that point they were so exhausted they just cleaned up minimally and collapsed into bed, falling asleep almost immediately in each other's arms.

* * *

><p>Back in the present, Hiroki knew he needed to get up. But it was so nice to just lie there, even if the bed seemed empty without the comforting warmth of Nowaki beside him. Finally, Hiroki sat up and re-read the note. Since he was alone in the apartment, he allowed the soft smile it brought to his face.<p>

The neko professor felt bad that after all of the things they had been through the previous day, that Nowaki had still gotten up and gone into work, but that amazing ethic and his dependability were two of the things he already loved deeply about the man. There were hundreds of others too, not that he would admit it.

In a way, however, Hiroki was glad that Nowaki was out of the apartment. He had some things he wanted to do to prepare for their special anniversary evening. Plus he had to get downtown and pick up Nowaki's present.

With that thought in mind to motivate him, the cinnamon neko stretched, scratched his ever-itching ear and got up.

* * *

><p><strong>NEW AN:<strong>

**FrostySquid, happy to see you swimming by again. You too LoopyHutton  
><strong>

**Dear Alcuzey always a pleasure to hear from you and I'll be hopefully getting those other stories up soon too.  
><strong>

**Ashley Tangerine, I totally understand... "education first, ff second. But I'll miss you terribly and look forward to you reviews both here and for Cerberus now.  
><strong>

**Thanks to all my other reviewers. Short or long, you make my day!**

* * *

><p><strong>OLD AN:<br>**

**Do you smell the scent of lemon in the air? I do, and my guess is that it is just going to get stronger… I know I said I might not post today, but damn, I think I am addicted to writing this fic.**

**FreshPrinceLover- Glad my compromise with Misaki satisfied your sadistic cravings… it was a hard choice. Glad you like my injection of humor into the drama also.**

**Egoistfangirl- I know things get crazy, sorry for being such a needy author. Actually, I was afraid perhaps I'd offended you with my response to your Misaki assertion. I do appreciate your honesty very much. One of the things I have a lot of fun with is trying to create a new response to a character in a reader. For example moving people from hatred to sympathy for Tsumori was quite a fun challenge. And your feeling a bit more for Misaki, also makes me smile. (that's why I wish you'd read the Romantica "Thousand Words", but no pressure.) I also agreed with your comment about Nowaki's profanity. I wrestled with that as I wrote it and have gone back and taken two of the fucks out (I just like writing that word, what can I say) I think it reads better and is stronger. So, again thank you. And as always, no such thing as a review that is too long.**

**Sola-usagi- glad to hear from you again. Yeah, sorry my Akihiko got a little out of hand there.**

**LoserSquad- are you with us yet? If you think I made you horny before, just wait…**

**Silverlockets- Thanks for the favorting/alerts and I am so happy you are enjoying the read… but wouldn't a cat enjoying tuna be a bit appropriate for this fic?**

**Chiharu Moka- glad you liked the chapters!**

**X ( )- I am a "Die Hard" fan myself… must have watched that movie about thirty times…does it show? That intervening time for Nowaki would be interesting to explore. Hmm… I think there could be a fic in there somewhere. There will be a bit more SIH reference coming up! Hope you liked the Tyrant cameo in this chapter. Sorry about the funeral. Hope you're okay.**

**Maggie Mae from PennyLane- If you look back you'll see where Shinji tells Akihiko he fingered Misaki, but hasn't stuck anything else in. And as for the dead parts, they're now fully grafted and living, so it would be like taking of limbs. Plus, you couldn't take the rest of the neko tendencies out of Tsumori now, he's been fully nekofied.**

**Moonlight at Dusk- thanks for the favorite, there are a few more chapters left in this neko tale, so don't be sad yet.**

**Midoritenchi90- Gracias! Viva Miyagi.**

**Avery- So glad you liked the Chapters, though I don't wish to get you in trouble with your schoolwork. I'd be interested in hearing your seme war cry! Hope you like the Tyrant cameo. Thank you for the lovely long review!**

**Kiyo12-glad your superhero music held.**

**Kat- Thank you so much for the review. Yes, I thought Hiroki needed a boost for his pride as well. I appreciate you caught that. Glad you're enjoying the escort too!**

**MM64- Loved the gangster comment.**

**Alecritique- The warehouse was huge… at least in my brain it was. What can I say? I love the yaoi. Also glad you liked my repeat motif of love confessions. I added that element after writing ¾ of the fic. I'm happy with it.**

**Puupyfacetwo, Lillemmi- thanks for the shout out!**

**xMoymoy- Dawg, I love your rants… you crack me up, seriously I would pay to listen to you go off about school. Glad you liked the chapters. Leaving another fic to read mine…You know, forget what I said about rejecting you in my last batch of notes cause you've totally turned me. I think I love you xMoymoy-chin… Even after you called me a bitch.**

**IAMLEGEND- Thanks for liking the ribs comment, it cracked me up (get it?).**


	66. Lover: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Sixty-Six: Lover**

* * *

><p>Hiroki burst through the door, panting. He looked at his watch again for about the fifth time in the last ten minutes. It had taken him longer to get Nowaki's gift than he expected. If he wasn't careful, he wouldn't have everything ready for their anniversary evening by the time Nowaki came home like he'd planned. Just thinking about Nowaki though, Hiroki's tail lost its nervous twitch and the neko felt his ears suddenly perk straight up.<p>

The cinnamon catman took off his shoes and hung his things up by the door. He hid Nowaki's gift under one of the cushions of the couch.

Hiroki wondered again how the Dean's Takatsuki foster kitten and Miyagi were doing.

* * *

><p>Apparently, during their "adventure," despite their contentious start, Akihiko had rather taken a liking to the old tom. So the author had set Miyagi up in a private suite in the exclusive hospital's ICU.<p>

Hiroki had found this out when he'd called the hospital before heading out to pick up Nowaki's present. Nowaki had left him his phone again. They had decided on their way home last night, that Sunday they'd go shopping to get Hiroki his own cell phone, in case of any future emergencies.

Hiroki had been surprised when they connected him with Miyagi's room to hear Akihiko answer the phone instead of Shinobu. It seemed the doctors had finally sedated the Takatsuki kitten, as otherwise every time the nurses turned their backs the small crying cat kept climbing into the hospital bed with Miyagi.

Akihiko said he'd had the staff move two cots into the room with Miyagi, and that, thanks to the tranquilizer, Shinobu was now finally sleeping in one of these.

Misaki, also sedated, was resting comfortably in the other. The chocolate kit-teen was physically stable, but the doctors had wanted to keep him at the hospital a bit longer, as Misaki's psyche was currently terribly fragile.

Hiroki was moved that the aloof author had appointed himself watch over the three nekos.

Hiroki was also heartened to hear that Miyagi, though he'd not regained consciousness since Shinobu had given him his new collar, seemed to be slowly stabilizing.

While the bullet had shattered the huge hybrid's shoulder on entry, his collar bone on exit, and had collapsed one of his lungs, Miyagi's heart had been left amazingly unscathed. By the gunshot, that was. What the Takatsuki kitten had done to it was a whole other matter.

Akihiko had tried several times to contact the Dean and his daughter, but had received no response from either yet.

Hiroki had told Akihiko not to worry, he would make all the arrangements for Miyagi's classes, if the Dean couldn't be reached. He knew Miyagi's students would be terribly upset, as the neko professor was dearly loved.

The cinnamon catman had offered to come and relieve Akihiko. He was sure Nowaki wouldn't mind and what was one more night of intense sexual frustration after all?

Hiroki was ecstatic (though a bit guilty) when Akihiko told him to stay home with his new seme and rest himself, though the way that he said it made Hiroki blush deeply as it was obvious Akihiko knew just what sort of "resting" would be going on.

The author had assured Hiroki that all was fine and he had everything under control. He wouldn't be leaving the hospital as long as Misaki was there anyway and Aikawa was dropping his laptop by later so that he could start a new NL novel while he waited with the nekos.

* * *

><p>Hiroki allowed himself to set his concerns to the side as he went out into the kitchen to begin making dinner.<p>

As he waited for his meal to finish baking, Hiroki wondered if they'd even get around to eating it. Food certainly wasn't what he was hungry for. Still, he had thought it would be a nice gesture h to have something ready when Nowaki returned home from work.

Besides, Hiroki had no patience for the notion of going out tonight.

The hybrid had made several things he'd learned in his short time with Nowaki that the man liked. He hoped it was okay; He still wasn't very confident about his cooking abilities. Not that his big idiot would complain if things didn't turn out: Nowaki was incredibly kind that way.

Hiroki was shocked that this thought brought tears to his eyes. He wiped them back with the oven mitt. He had been accused of being an overly emotional neko ever since he was a kitten, but this felt somehow different.

Maybe it was PHS. The only other reasonable explanation, one he didn't want to easily admit, was that it was really true love. Anyway, Hiroki knew he had to stop or he would have red eyes and a red nose when Nowaki came home and the last thing the hybrid wanted when the man first saw him this evening was to look in any way distressed.

It was hard not to get just a little bit teary though; he had been through so much recently. And while his neko confidence had been so badly damaged when Nowaki first met him, he already felt like a much stronger cat since being taken in by the amazing young intern.

Hiroki took the last dish out of the oven and went to finish setting the table.

He set it for two people. Though it might seem silly to some, that there were two place settings thrilled him.

No more solitary meals like he'd eaten for when he'd lived at Akihiko's or scraps from a cracked dish on the floor as he'd experienced with Tsumori. Hiroki's heart glowed, knowing that this was his and Nowaki's, "their" table, and if they were lucky they would get to share countless meals here together.

Once all of the things for dinner were ready, Hiroki slipped into the bathroom.

In here, the cinnamon catman slipped out of his clothes, putting the dirty ones in the hamper. He carefully folded the others and put them on a hanger, and returned this to its holder on the back of the door.

The professor felt a bit stiff, as he took off his shirt, though nowhere near as bad as he had some mornings before Nowaki entered his life.

All yesterday's action had taken its toll on the slender hybrid: Hiroki's arms ached and his knuckles were actually quite badly bruised from beating on Kato the day before. Still, overall, he was doing quite well, nothing wrong that would keep him from having his big night with Nowaki.

As he reluctantly removed his collar, getting ready for his shower, the thought of tonight made Hiroki shiver with anticipation.

He turned and looked in the mirror. The sight of all his old, fading wounds and the few new ones from yesterday would have normally made him self-conscious but then he saw the still vivid mate mark on his neck and his ears twitched with pleasure.

Besides, there was not a single mark on his flesh that had not also been sealed by the lips of his own personal physician. Even last night, as exhausted as they both were, Nowaki would not rest until he had at last kissed Hiroki's every new bruise. Hiroki thought for the hundredth time that day that he didn't deserve a partner… um, owner, as wonderful as Nowaki.

He fervently hoped that he would have the courage to tell Nowaki tonight how much he meant to him.

Before washing, Hiroki began preparing himself for the big night.

He had purchased an enema while he was out (though it was terribly embarrassing) and used it just to make sure he'd be especially clean on the inside. Then he jumped into the shower. As he lathered himself, it was hard not to get hard, just thinking about the memories this shower held.

Hiroki scrubbed himself thoroughly. They hadn't really cleaned properly last night, they were so tired and Hiroki wished to wash every trace of his warehouse experience off of him.

Besides, he wanted to be sparkly for Nowaki. Not that he'd ever admit it… well, okay, maybe just this once he would.

After he got out and dried off, Hiroki went over and picked up the collar that Nowaki had bought him from where he'd left it on the counter of the sink.

Hiroki's slender fingers stroked the woven brown leather band. Though he'd only been with this new mate… er, owner for just over a week, this new collar made him feel like he belonged and was cherished in a way he'd never known before. Hiroki supposed he should be grateful that Nowaki didn't demand that he wear the collar all the time, but to be honest, he really never wanted to be without it.

He fastened it around his pale throat once more. Looking at himself in the mirror again now, he thought again of how much he loved it and what a perfect choice Nowaki had made. He could feel a hot flush rise into his cheeks. His cheeks grew even hotter as he thought about how much Nowaki seemed to like it when he blushed. His tail swished as the neko professor experienced an unexpected wave of contentment.

Looking at the new collar, Hiroki's fingers unconsciously crept up and traced the fading pink lines left behind by the old, heavy, stiff collar Tsumori had made him wear. He felt his eyes get moist again and quickly looked away from the mirror. He only hoped that his insides: his heart, his soul, and his mind, would heal as quickly and evenly as his skin seemed to be.

Reflecting on this, the cinnamon neko knew there were going to be a lot of uncertainties up ahead, but one thing Hiroki was sure of was that he would never again regret the day he had run away from Akihiko's home.

Hiroki felt true tears well up in his eyes. His tail wrapped itself comfortingly around one of his legs. As much as he'd been hurt by Akihiko, since finding Nowaki, Hiroki realized the crushing weight of the pain he had carried for so long had finally been lifted.

Hiroki hoped that Akihiko would find his own peace, if not for the author's own sake, then at least for Misaki's. The neko professor decided when Misaki came back to school he'd make a point of seeking the kitten out and keep tabs on how things were going with that gifted, but unstable, horny, silver-seme. At least until Misaki got to a point where he could manage the hare-brained author on his own.

Now clean and with his collar restored, Hiroki undertook the last part of his preparation. He took a bottle of lube he'd purchased while he was out. He'd bought it at a different store than the enema, as if that would prevent the clerk from surmising what it was for. He slicked his finger and slipped it into his heated orifice.

Hiroki winced just a bit as his finger went in, though he wouldn't admit it, he was still a bit sore. This, however, didn't deter him in the least from his intention to have Nowaki inside him before the night was over.

Hiroki was surprised to find that his interior was already a bit slick, one of the indicators that he would probably be entering his heat cycle soon.

The hybrid recalled that he'd once overheard his breeder telling a potential customer that some Kamijous self lubricated even when they weren't in heat, but only when the high-strung cats felt really secure, so it didn't happen that often. Hiroki wondered and then shrugged. Only time would tell.

The neko washed his hands and then went and slipped into one of Nowaki's clean nightshirts and nothing else. He could feel his slicked parts as he began to move about and found himself almost instantly hard from the illicit feeling of this.

Given this new development, the neko sincerely hoped Nowaki would be home soon.

Now that everything was done, Hiroki went over by the door. He felt a bit foolish loitering for the man there, but he was comforted by the fact that Nowaki would have no way of knowing how long he had waited.

Hiroki bit his lip and his ears flattened as he recalled taking a similar post, waiting on his knees, his stomach knotted with fear, every day of those long months he'd spent with Tsumori.

_How different this is, standing here in eager anticipation, my heart racing so fast with the fear and the thrill of this new love. _

Hiroki's ears perked up immediately at the sound of a key in the lock. His tail tapped impatiently. While Hiroki would never admit it, for perhaps the first time in his life he didn't feel cold in the least.

The cinnamon neko was so hopeful he was shaking.

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**Okay, so I know this wasn't what you were expecting, but there was so much concern for Miyagi, I had to address this. Plus, this was something I had wanted to do in this fic for a long time. If you go back and read chapter one of this fic, with the exception of a bit of order, you will see I have contrasted Hiroki's experience in chapter one, waiting for Tsumori, with his experience waiting for Nowaki here. The story has come full circle.**

**Also, I need the weekend to write lemons because they take a long time. Configuring the vision in my head and coalescing them into words is bit tricky sometimes.**

**There are maybe another eight chapters I think… then the fic will be done. Those of you up for a sequel better throw me some ideas for round two as I haven't any at the moment. And I think I will take a few weeks off to get caught up on my other fics. **

**Nadiwa Yagari- glad you chimed in. Yes, I am really liking "The Escort", though in a whole other style and I'd really like to have more time to devote to it. Glad you like it.**

**Yaoilover796, IAMLEGEND, FreshPrinceLover, Puppyfacetwo, Lillemmi, Kiyo 12, Midoritenchi90 - Thank you for taking the time to holler at me! **

**MadameMasquerade 64- sorry to disappoint, but keep waiting!**

**Maggie Mae from Penny Lane- your comment on the ferals made me laugh, yes, I've seen that too.**

**000LoveYaoi000- Thank for the writing props. Any ideas for Tyrant?**

**Yaoifangirl4ever- glad you are feeling better. Hope your mum likes your crush. I would like to do a Tyrant fic. Again any ideas? Anyone (no gender bending though, please).**

**Midnight Reader- Thank you as always for the great review. Just so you know, I started a terrorist short last night. If I pull it together, I'll post it this weekend. Also read my response to YFG4E- any Tyrant ideas? Yes, I've been interested in a Takano/Yokozawa lemon. What do you think?**

**Egoistfangirl- here's the exact link ( www. youtube watch? v=LfLpF9 Gsju U) just take out the spaces. Anyway, if I could animate what I saw as I listened to this. Just thinking about it my chest gets tight (yeah, and a few other places too.) **

**And yeah, god, I love Hiroki's deep growly voice in the OVA and Nowaki does sound more like the uke to me of that pairing, but perhaps it is just because he sounds younger and a bit softer (though I love the earnest quality of Nowaki's sweet voice). I wish more writers would mention how rich the professor sounds… cause yeah, that for me, maybe even a bit more so than his looks in the anime (sounds impossible, I know) is what makes my toes curl. **

**Thank you also for braving the R 1000 words. The reviews were much appreciated.**

**Oh, also, please read X ( )'s last review and tell me what you think of her twin suggestion.**

**X ( )- Thank you for the description, you sound adorable (seriously). I passed your request onto EFG and we'll have to see what she says. Glad you liked the Japanese reference- thought of the Tsunami as I wrote that. Also, I didn't know about the turning in. It just seemed to me like what Akhiko would do.**

**Ah, yes, Alan Rickman. That voice… well, if you read my comments to EFG you'll know what I'm talking about within a minute. There are films (legitimate ones) I watch over and over just for the quality of the voices. i.e. Glengary/Glennross- David Mamet has such a way of writing, there is a cadence to the profanity his characters spew that becomes almost songlike and what a great cast of elder voices in that flick, right? (Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, Jack Lemon, Alan Akin, Alec Balwin, and let's not forget Al Pacino). Each one of those actors is like a musical instrument in that film, their voices, playing the score of the author's words to perfection.**

**Thank you for your comments and yes, you are spot on in how I wish to play with the characters. It makes them so much more multidimensional that way. And by the way, some of your earlier Uke Flu concerns will be being addressed soon, so keep an eye out for that. Your mind was just a few steps ahead of the story.**

**Avery- I completely understand what you're saying about the seme in CLR, there were a few panels, one in particular where Seri (is that the uke's name?) had just made them coffee and I was looking at them like 'are these girls or boys?' I did note that the author said it felt more like yuri than yaoi, in the writing/drawing. Haven't seen much (well, any really) yuri, it did make me a bit curious as it felt that way to me reading it. I did like the concept though, of a shy, innocent seme- so much fun to corrupt. Have you read any of the Viewfinder Series? If so, I'm curious as to what you think about that. Nothing sweet about that seme. He reminds me of Kanou (more brutal, though) in Okane ga Nai, though his uke is way more appealing than Ayase.**


	67. Home: Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Sixty-Seven: Home**

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><p>When Nowaki stepped into the apartment he now shared with Hiroki, he was overwhelmed. The space had a warm cheerful feeling and smelled of home cooking. It was exactly like walking into the "real home" he had imagined so many nights as a child from his lonely bed in the orphanage.<p>

And then on top of this of course, there was Hiro-san. Nowaki hadn't started imagining things like _that_ until he was in middle school and even then, they had never been so amazing. Nowaki looked at his handsome neko, standing there in his over-sized nightshirt and stammered, "Um, Hiro-san, I 'm sorry to disturb… I mean, I'm back."

All of the boldness Hiroki had been storing up all day suddenly left him. He scratched his stitched ear nervously as he studied the floor. "Ah… welcome home, Nowaki." A pink blush blossomed on his cheeks.

Nowaki was entranced by the vision of his neko professor. Hiroki's wild brown head was still slightly damp from his shower. The younger man could smell the scent of honeyed soap on Hiroki's skin and pumpkin spice shampoo caught in the catman's thick hair. Hiro-san's ears (even the shaved one) looked so silky, as did the little "V" of hair on the hybrid's chest that was visible from the open neck of the crisp, clean, blue and white striped nightshirt.

The neko's exposed skin looked almost…sparkly.

Hiroki hadn't bothered to roll up the overlong sleeves so the hand that still hung by his side wasn't visible, the empty cuff hanging low. On the other sleeve however, the cuff was turned back and the cloth slipped down to Hiroki's elbow when the neko raised his arm. The professor's forearm flexed slightly as his hand had left off itching his stitched ear, and was now running long fingers nervously through his wild mane. The sight of the Hiroki's lean limb was intoxicating. Not to mention the two sinuous stems extending out from under the bottom of the big striped shirt and the softly swishing cinnamon tail occasionally drifting out from behind them.

Nowaki thought that seeing Hiro-san like this was quite possibly the cutest thing he had witnessed all day and it was for damn sure the sexiest.

Nowaki didn't even bother to take off his shoes, he just stepped over to Hiroki and took the suddenly shy neko's chin in his hands and leaned down catching the stunned hybrid's mouth with his own in a crushing kiss.

Hiroki opened himself to the kiss. He could taste the desire on Nowaki's tongue and it was delicious. He responded to Nowaki's oral entreaties hungrily and without even being aware he was doing so, wrapped his arms around the man's neck.

Nowaki dropped his hands from Hiroki's face and started to frantically try and pull out of his jacket. He shook off his unbuttoned over-shirt too, so that he was down to the tight black tee underneath. As soon as this was accomplished, his large hands started fumbling with the buttons on the nightshirt Hiroki was wearing.

His lips eagerly sought his lover's throughout this.

Nowaki finally broke the kiss.

"I thought about you all day, Hiro-san," he whispered into Hiroki's hybrid ear; his usually light voice was husky. "I missed you so much." Nowaki looked down as he struggled with the last few buttons.

As he did this Hiroki was lightly biting along the base of his jaw. Suddenly Hiroki took the young intern's earlobe into his mouth and then began to lick up its edge with his slightly rough tongue.

"Fuck the buttons," Hiroki growled in his owner's ear.

That was all it took and in an instant, with one hard tug by Nowaki, the remaining buttons went flying to various parts of the room.

Nowaki pulled back just slightly.

Not that he wanted to lose the sensation of Hiroki's hot mouth slicking his flesh, but because he wanted, no, needed to see the glory that was Hiro-san under that shirt.

Now revealed, Nowaki ran one of his large hands down Hiroki's delightfully tight torso from collarbones to cock. Hiroki's was already hard, the neko's erection already starting to pearl with precum. Nowaki smiled appreciatively at the sight of his lover's inflamed length.

"It looks like you missed me too, Hiro-san."

Hiroki was looking awkwardly off to the side, the rosy flush created by Nowaki's comment dripped all the way down into his panting chest.

Nowaki slid both hands then under the open shirt Hiroki wore. He ran them down the hybrid's heaving sides marveling at how smooth the neko's skin felt.

His hands slipped lower. They grazed the bony ridge of Hiro-san's hips and rounded the satisfying curve of the neko professor's tight ass. Nowaki gloried in the sensation of the Hiro-san's naked cheeks filling his hands. He lifted Hiroki up, pleased to feel the whole weight of the catman in his palms.

Nowaki was surprised to feel Hiroki lift his legs and wrap them low around his jean-clad hips. Hiroki sought out Nowaki's mouth this time.

Now Nowaki kicked himself out of his shoes. He tripped a bit as he did this, as his hands were currently filled with hybrid. Caught in the momentum of this, Nowaki lurched and found himself crushing Hiroki up against one of the entry hall's walls.

Hiroki didn't seem to mind this at all, in fact the stirred feline groaned as the force ground Nowaki's clothed groin against his naked one. His tail slipped down between Nowaki's legs and curled up, rubbing itself against the crack of the man's ass, pulling him in tighter.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki gasped pulling out of the kiss. He removed one of his hands from under the hybrid. In his strong arms Hiroki was remarkably light and the wall kept him supported as well.

Nowaki ran his free hand through Hiroki's tousled hair. Long fingers grazed the sensitive skin behind Hiroki's human ear as Nowaki's mouth kissed along the length of his neck. Hiroki tipped his head back. Beneath his lips, Nowaki could feel the vibrations deep in his neko's throat as Hiroki growled his name.

"Nowaki."

The young intern could feel his hardened dick start to salivate like a Pavlovian* hound at this utterance.

"Hiro-san."

Nowaki bent his shaggy head down, his lips grazed the neko's prominent collarbones. His mouth slid down Hiroki's firm pectorals, even as his knees folded beneath him.

Together the pair slipped down until Hiroki was seated in Nowaki's lap. Hiroki's ardent tail tickled Nowaki's waist as its silky tip traveled the band of his jeans, eventually finding a point of access and slipping beneath.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki whispered into Hiroki's chest, his tongue sampling the sweet disc of one of the hybrid's nipples. Hiroki's forearms now rested on his broad shoulders. The neko professor's long fingers tangled in the younger male's thick raven mane.

Nowaki shifted their position and began to lower Hiroki to the floor, when he suddenly felt the neko stiffen slightly beneath him. "What is it, Hiro-san?" Nowaki's blue eyes were suddenly dark with concern.

"Not the floor," Hiroki panted.

"Too hard?" Nowaki wanted his lover to be comfortable.

"Too cold." Hiroki scowled slightly.

"I'm sorry, Hiro-san, of course." Nowaki looked over at the sofa. The bedroom seemed so far away at the moment.

"Couch okay?"

"Yes, please," Hiroki muttered looking down. He was still unused to such gentle consideration in such matters.

The cinnamon neko allowed Nowaki to rise, pulling him up along with him. The two moved together almost as if in a dance. Hiroki was perfectly capable of making his way to the couch himself, but the truth of it was he just simply didn't want to let go of Nowaki.

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**Okay… Here's the start of your serial Egoist lemon. Hope you enjoy. Will add shout outs this evening once I am home from work. Yeah, I know it's Friday night… Don't rub my nose in my lack of life, please.**

**Oh, yeah, and Cerberus has a new Terrorist Lemon in the "M" section. For you die hard Egoist fans, Hiroki makes a brief appearance as well.**

**Note from Don't Preach- Midnight reader will know this as will many others of you I am sure...**

***Pavlovian Hound-**The Russian scientist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was born in 1849 in Ryazan, where his father worked as a village priest. In 1870 Ivan Pavlov abandoned the religious career for which he had been preparing, and instead went into science. There he had a great impact on the field of physiology by studying the mechanisms underlying the digestive system in mammals.

While Ivan Pavlov worked to unveil the secrets of the digestive system, he also studied what signals triggered related phenomena, such as the secretion of saliva. When a dog encounters food, saliva starts to pour from the salivary glands located in the back of its oral cavity.

Pavlov became interested in studying reflexes when he saw that the dogs drooled without the proper stimulus. Although no food was in sight, their saliva still dribbled. It turned out that the dogs were reacting to lab coats. Every time the dogs were served food, the person who served the food was wearing a lab coat. Therefore, the dogs reacted as if food was on its way whenever they saw a lab coat.

In a series of experiments, Pavlov then tried to figure out how these phenomena were linked. For example, he struck a bell when the dogs were fed. If the bell was sounded in close association with their meal, the dogs learnt to associate the sound of the bell with food. After a while, at the mere sound of the bell, they responded by drooling. ( www. nobelprize educational/ medicine/ pavlov/ )

**Oh, yeah, and the odd pumpkin spice shampoo reference. I read an article the other day that said in a survey of American men (sorry, no notes on Japanese men, unfortunately) and scent preference, the scent of pumpkin pie rated the highest in terms of appeal and as a favorite smell. That's why I added it... So ladies (and gentlemen) you might want to go find some pumpkin pie scented cologne if you are interested in attracting an American male. (I just caution you not to wear this fragrance if you live or are traveling in an area where there are bears.) : ) Yeah, it's a good smell, and I think it goes well with the hybrid Hiroki's cinnamon hair...**


	68. Started: Egoist

**Warning: Egoist Lemon**

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><p><strong>Neko-Hiro<strong>

**Chapter Sixty-Eight: Started**

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><p>Nowaki lay Hiroki down on his back on the sofa, making sure as he did so, not to crush the neko's tail. One of his long arms left Hiroki's body for the tortuous seconds it took to grab a throw pillow and settle this behind the catman's cinnamon head. Once he'd done this, with infinite tenderness, Nowaki ran his fingers through Hiroki's now sweat damp mane.<p>

"Okay, Hiro-san?" Nowaki's long fingers continued to softly stroke the hybrid's brow.

Hiroki had been looking to the side, embarrassed by Nowaki's consideration. He glanced up and was overwhelmed by the love that he saw reflected in the blue depths of Nowaki's eyes. Hiroki bit his lip and nodded. He wanted desperately to look away but he was caught in the whirlpool of the other's gaze.

Nowaki saw Hiroki's discomfort and he smiled. He leaned down and kissed the neko's forehead, then moved over to one of Hiroki's human ears, his mouth all but touching.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki breathed. He offered the nickname like a prayer.

At the sound of this name carried on the sultry breeze of Nowaki's exhalation, a shiver coursed through Hiroki's slender frame and carried all the way to the tip of his tremulous tail.

Hiroki closed his eyes and felt warm lips dust their lids. Then the hand that had been at his brow slipped down to cup the edge of his jaw. Nowaki brushed his thumb over the catman's lips and then followed this with his own.

The slowness of Nowaki's purposeful touches was excruciating, Hiroki was already so stirred and his body ached for release. He relinquished his grasp around Nowaki's neck and his fevered fingers caught the edge of Nowaki tight tee, sliding between the thin fabric and the man's hot skin.

Nowaki felt this and sat back, breaking their embrace.

Hiroki reluctantly loosed the hold that his legs had around Nowaki's waist and was rewarded for this with the vision of Nowaki kneeling on the couch between them, starting to pull his tee-shirt off.

It sounds like such a simple thing, but watching the man, long arms crossed, big hands grasping the black cotton cloth, lifting it with deliberate slowness, each new inch revealing the magnificent topography of his torso, Hiroki felt the tension in his low belly growing and thought he might come from just the sight.

When Nowaki finally pulled the shirt off over his shaggy, black head and cast it to the side, Hiroki released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Nowaki offered his neko professor a new smile. One that revealed he was quite conscious of this torturous teasing.

"Dumb-ass," Hiroki muttered bending one shirt-clad arm over his reddening face, hiding his eyes in the crook of his elbow.

Normally, Nowaki wouldn't want to lose sight of those wonderfully expressive russet eyes for a moment, but with Hiro-san hiding his face, now he could freely admire the glorious sight lying beneath him without causing the neko any further embarrassment.

Just gazing upon the wonders of Hiroki's form, the tantalizing flesh visible beneath the open nightshirt, Nowaki realized, wasn't enough. He leaned down and his hands pushed the edges of the cloth away, revealing his lover's body more fully.

Beneath him, Hiroki trembled at this new sensation of nakedness, the feel of the parted nightshirt just emphasized his experience of exposure.

When he looked at Hiro-san, Nowaki didn't see the lingering bruises or fading scars, instead he saw the beauty of his cherished hybrid's firm pectorals, the broadness of Hiro-san's chest in relation to his otherwise slender frame.

He ran his hands down Hiroki's sides, then slid them back up. Nowaki paused in his travels so that his thumbs could brush light circles around the neko's nipples, graze across erect, blushed tips. His ever-present smile widened Hiroki's chest arched up into his touch.

Hiroki was fighting to hold back his moans even as his lewd body betrayed him.

Nowaki moved one hand over to trace the silky cinnamon "V" of hair on Hiro-san's chest as it gently pushed the neko's chest back down. Hiroki growled in response, filled with desire-fueled frustration. Then, Nowaki's hands followed his eyes as they traveled down the length of the hybrid's increasingly trembling taut belly. His palms glided over slick skin.

Moving downward, Nowaki marveled at Hiroki's cock, the neko's erection lying against his smooth stomach.

"Hiro-san." With one finger, he trailed over the line of the thick vein on the underside of Hiroki's cock.

"Nowaki, please," Hiroki choked, his need outweighed his pride in this instant.

In its anticipation, Hiroki's cock had leaked, a small puddle forming on his belly. The fluid, in his quaking, had spilled over; a thin trail trickled down his side.

"Yes, Hiro-san, I'm sorry I made you wait so long," Nowaki replied, realizing the extent of his mate's discomfort.

Hiroki was shocked to feel Nowaki's tongue unexpectedly lick up his side, following the path of his overflowed longing. Then mercifully, finally, the man's mouth was around his weeping dick.

"Nowaki," Hiroki panted.

The silky, wet, heat of Nowaki's mouth was amazing. Hiroki gasped and a rough, low groan escaped his throat as his lover… um, owner explored him. Hiroki tried to stifle the purr that had begun rumbling in his chest, trying desperately to hold back. Being touched so much elsewhere he was so close to coming, but he couldn't bear the thought of Nowaki's mouth being removed.

Nowaki understood and one of his hands encircled the base of the neko's shaft with a gentle, but tight grip to prevent the Hiroki from coming.

Nowaki was silent but for the soft wet sounds of his ministering mouth, but every flick of his tongue still spoke his most beloved word: "Hiro-san."

It swirled over the sensitive skin of the neko's tip. "Hiro-san."

It stroked the spot just beneath the base of his cockhead. "Hiro-san."

It slid down the underside of Hiroki's veined length. "Hiro-san."

As the rest of Nowaki's mouth followed and took up its motion, it became like a mantra: each sucking slide articulating his devotion.

Hiroki's back arched again in response to the pleasure of Nowaki's oral incantations. The hand at his side clutched the cushion; the hand overhead gripped the edge of the pillow. The sounds of his labored breaths, soft gasps, and rumbling purr mingled and became an invocation of their own.

Hiroki had reached the end of his endurance.

"Nowaki," his voice was soft but the tone had become plaintive. If the man didn't let him come soon, he would be reduced to begging outright.

Though it was barely audible below the naturally deep growl of Hiroki's pre-orgasmic purr, the new seme's acute ear caught his uke's desperation. Nowaki smiled around Hiroki's cock. His hand joined the worship of his mouth and within moments he tasted Hiro-san's seeded-sacrament.

Once Hiroki was spent, Nowaki kissed his way back up the hybrid's body.

He relished the feeling of the neko's still labored breathing: the rise and fall of the slender body beneath his lips. His mouth lingered over Hiroki's throat. Nowaki thought the exclamation of his Hiro-san coming was perhaps one of the most exquisite sounds he'd ever heard.

Hovering over the neko, Nowaki held himself up, bracing himself with one arm. He did not want to crush the cinnamon catman beneath him. With the other hand he gently pulled the arm down that had been covering the embarrassed neko's face.

Hiroki glanced up at Nowaki and then turned his head to the side once more, his cheeks filled with crimson. He could feel Nowaki's desire, still trapped beneath the cloth of the man's jeans, pressing into him as Nowaki lay lightly a top him.

"I'm sorry you haven't come yet, Nowaki." Hiroki's voice was weighted with guilt. He was the pet after all. It was his place to please.

Nowaki caught the neko's cheek in his hand and turned Hiroki's face back towards him. He leaned down and kissed Hiroki deeply.

Hiroki could taste himself on Nowaki's tongue. He brought his own hands up twining his fingers in Nowaki's hair, pulling the larger male down onto him.

Nowaki released Hiroki's mouth. He looked at Hiroki and smiled. Then he slid up and nuzzled a pert fuzzy ear with his nose.

Nowaki laughed when it began to twitch rather madly after he leaned in and whispered,

"That's okay. 'Cause we're just getting started, right... Hiro-san?"

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**Do you know how long it takes me to write this stuff? This thirteen hundred+ words has taken me three and a half hours. **

**I am so appreciative of those who have commented on the fact that they feel they can clearly see the scene unfold through my writing. I see that too as I write, though translating that into words is tricky. These scenes play over and over as I am getting them down, so I have to take a lot of … uh… "breaks" (mental ones of course, is what I am saying). Anyway, I may and try and write another chapter later today.**

**FreshPrinceLover, Midoritenchi90, LoserSquad, Liz, Nadiwa Yagari, Madame Masquerade 64, Demon Cookie 8, puppyfacetwo- Thank you for the reviews. Imagine me hugging you in thanks. Pretend I look like Nowaki.**

**Loser Squad- waiting for those longer reviews.**

**Demoncookie8- they're from Sekai ichi Hatsukoi.**

**X ( )- So it sounds like I will have to write a lap scene in for you in another fic. Yes, that moment at the door was I think my favorite moment in all of the anime. 'They' is the perfect pronoun… Cerberus had three heads and one body (typically) after all. BTW do you know where one can find a translation of the CDs? Oh, and don't worry. I will not make you faint. **

**Egoistfangirl- I am a lavender fan myself. Yes, I was thinking of your penchant for scent when I wrote that bit about the smells. Glad you liked the buttons and the up against the wall bit, I had rather a lot of fun envisioning that myself.**

**Avery- Sorry to hear you were unwell. Hopefully you are fully recovered now. Vanilla… another lovely scent. Oh, and I started reading Okane ga Nai and I like the way Ayase is drawn much better than how he was animated, though he's still a bit girly for my taste. Also, if you don't like mean semes than viewfinder is probably not for you: Asami is a right bastard. Also if you have any issue with non con or s and m, because there's a lot of both in that series. In reality, that's not my cup of tea, but conceptually and when it is well drawn… well, let me just say I find it had a certain appeal.**

**Yaoilover796-glad you liked the lemon. Just reviewed you last chapter recently. Keep writing on.**


	69. Gifts: Egoist

**Warning: Egoist Lemon Cont.**

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><p><strong>Neko-Hiro<strong>

**Chapter Sixty-Nine: Gifts**

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><p>Nowaki could feel Hiroki tremble slightly beneath him.<p>

"We are just getting started," Hiroki whispered back, still not looking at him.

Nowaki moved his head back down to capture Hiroki's mouth again. The hybrid responded eagerly inviting his tongue in, teasing it with his own. The young intern felt the neko's hands slide down his torso and grasp the band of his jeans. Long fingers moved; fumbling with the front as Hiroki struggled to undo them.

"Nowaki, I want you out of these pants!" Hiroki growled as he pulled away from their kiss.

Nowaki was pleased by the hunger he heard in the feline professor's voice.

"Okay, Hiro-san," Nowaki pulled back and stood up from the couch. He watched as Hiroki sat up and moved over a bit, his long, slender tail twitching in agitated anticipation.

Despite his blushing cheeks, the neko's large eyes didn't leave his lover's (… um, owner's) lanky frame for an instant. He watched as Nowaki unfastened the front of his jeans, the edges folding over to reveal the black briefs the man sported beneath.

Nowaki gracefully stripped.

Even though he was a uke, Hiroki's tom senses were triggered by the sight of the younger male's muscular thighs flexing as he stepped out of the frustrating fabric. The rounded curve of the man's tight ass, still covered by the briefs, was so enticing.

Hiroki unconsciously licked his lips as his gaze followed the wispy path of black hair that started on Nowaki's low belly and led to _the Promised Land_: the straining bulge that tented the front of the black briefs, the color on these now darker in places where Nowaki's sizable dick had been leaking his own unspent desire.

Nowaki hooked the briefs with his thumbs and began to push them down.

"Slower," Hiroki mumbled, ducking his head.

"What, Hiro-san?" Nowaki grinned. He had heard, but it was the kind of thing he felt bore repeating.

"I said slower!" Hiroki snapped, horribly embarrassed dropping his head even lower.

Nowaki thought the color in his neko's cheeks was just delightful.

"Hiro-san, you're so cute." Nowaki then added, "I can go slower, but I don't see much reason to unless there's someone watching."

Hiroki's head shot up and he started to say something sharp, but stopped immediately, his eyes widening as Nowaki wiggled his thumbs in the band of his briefs and pushed them down ever so slightly. Nowaki tipped his head just a bit and cocked one eyebrow at Hiroki.

"You are such a pervert," Hiroki breathed, but he couldn't take his eyes off of Nowaki.

"I know," Nowaki grinned proudly, "But remember, Hiro-san, you were the one who said _slower_."

Hiroki's face was crimson and his ears vibrated madly as the smiling idiot standing before him began to languidly slip his briefs down, revealing in increments the curve of his low belly, the delicious jut of his hipbones, and at last his beautiful cock.

"Hiro-san!"

Nowaki was delighted. "You're hard again already." He had just finished stepping out of his briefs and was now standing there, unabashedly naked. Now it was his turn to lick his lips.

"Nowaki, you haven't even come yet, aren't you going crazy?" Hiroki asked incredulously.

Nowaki sat down on the sofa and slid over next to Hiroki.

"It's my seme staying power."

He smiled leaning in towards Hiroki. "But you're right, Hiro-san, I am going crazy… I'm going crazy for Hiro-san."

"You're a cheese ball!" Hiroki snorted at the ridiculous line. But his expression shifted quickly as one of Nowaki's hands drifted downwards and he felt feathery fingers dust over his stiff dick.

Nowaki slid off the couch onto his knees on the floor and moved in front of where Hiroki was sitting. He placed his large hands on the neko's knees and gently began to move them apart.

"Nowaki!"

Hiroki tried to put his knees back together but found this difficult as somehow, Nowaki had already maneuvered between them. Nowaki had in fact just draped one of Hiroki's legs over a broad shoulder and was now kissing his way up the inside of the neko's thigh.

"Idiot," Hiroki groaned, his hands reached back for the top of the couch as his other leg was soon bent over and occupying Nowaki's other previously empty shoulder. The hybrid felt a large hand curl around the outside of each of his thighs as his ass was pulled to the very edge of the couch.

Nowaki dropped one hand and lifted up the hybrid's blood-tight balls. Hiroki's head was thrown back as Nowaki shifted his mouth's migration. He kissed the neko's pucker eliciting a moan.

"Nowaki, no, you shouldn't…" Hiroki was rendered speechless, first at the embarrassment of having the man touch this spot so intimately with his mouth, then because of the overwhelming sensations of pleasure he experienced as Nowaki's tongue licked and worried him, and began to press in.

Despite his initial discomfort with such attentions, when Nowaki stopped Hiroki growled with disappointment. However, this was cut off as Nowaki only stopped touching him there long enough to lick a finger and slip it into him.

"Hiro-san." Nowaki was surprised at how slick the catman's interior was. "You're so wet."

"Don't say such embarrassing things," Hiroki huffed having regained his voice. He muttered, "I prepared, because I didn't want you to have to wait."

"That's so thoughtful, Hiro-san," Nowaki murmured lowering his head to lick up the side of Hiroki's soft sac.

As Nowaki pushed in farther, the man's agile finger seemed to have already memorized exactly where Hiroki's sweet spot was.

"This isn't equitable…"Hiroki gasped overcome by the touch.

"I don't mind, Hiro-san." Nowaki slipped his mouth over the tip of Hiroki's cock again.

"Yes, but I do," Hiroki panted. "Grrrrr…"

Under the tall man's magical ministrations the neko suddenly found he'd all but lost the capacity for speech again.

"No…" Hiroki rasped before all his words left him, "I want us both to come."

When Nowaki didn't leave off his motions to respond to this, Hiroki, despite his pleasure-addled state, suddenly got an idea. His soft cinnamon tail slipped down between the man's kneeling thighs. It slid across Nowaki's heavy sac and traced the crack of his ass.

Nowaki slipped off Hiroki's leaking cock with a wet sound and he gasped the neko's name as the tip of the catman's tail slipped back down and its furry tip twitched over his taint.

"Together," Hiroki growled.

Nowaki just smiled at Hiroki, his eyes brimming with desire. "Okay, Hiro-san. Together."

Nowaki gasped again as Hiroki's tactile tail cupped his balls; the soft fur tickled them in the most erotic way.

Nowaki took Hiroki in his mouth again. Nowaki's skilled finger continued to massage Hiroki's prostate, while the catman's extraordinarily prehensile tail wrapped around his cock like a mink sheath and began to engage in some stroking of its own. Nowaki had never felt anything like it. It was amazing. He couldn't help himself, he started groaning deep in his throat from the pleasure of Hiroki's silky stimulation.

The reverberations of this hummed through Hiroki's cock as the tall man sucked him. Between that and the interior massage he was getting, it wasn't long before he was brought to the brink. Nowaki, despite his seme staying power, was fast reaching his climax as well.

"Nowaki," Hiroki's purr was roiling again in his chest. As the hybrid crossed over the threshold of pleasure, his tail contracted and twitched with ecstasy, pulling Nowaki over the precipice as well.

Nowaki slid off of Hiroki and uttered a cry as he came. His slick chest was bathed by the catman's seed. Seconds later Hiroki's tail was likewise drenched.

Once the two caught their breath, Nowaki took Hiroki's sticky tail and kissed its contentedly twitching tip. Hiroki leaned over and ran his fingers over Nowaki's dripping pectorals. "Sorry, Nowaki."

Nowaki smiled and licked Hiroki's tail. "Why, Hiro-san? There's always pair bathing after all."

"Pervert," Hiroki scowled before he sighed and leaned in to start cleaning Nowaki's chest.

* * *

><p>Nowaki and Hiroki were laying together on the couch, a brief "intermission" in their anniversary celebration. Nowaki was still completely naked. He was lying on his back, his head propped on a pillow. One of his long legs was slightly bent and resting on the cushions, the other dangled off the edge of the couch; his foot rested on the floor.<p>

Hiroki had shed his shirt was entirely bare now himself, reclining between Nowaki's thighs with his head resting on his partner…er, owner's recently cleaned chest. His tail peacefully traced up and down Nowaki's bent leg.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki murmured.

"Hmmmm?" Hiroki was still purring post-coitally.

"Your tail was amazing, I didn't know that nekos could do that." Nowaki's voice contained a note of awe.

"A lot of people don't," Hiroki said raising his head and looking into Nowaki's blue eyes.

"Akihiko doesn't even address it in his NL novels and he has had two nekos living with him," Hiroki muttered. "Not that Misaki probably knows how do use his tail properly, even on himself. Now when I was his age, I practically wore all the fur off my own."

The cinnamon neko realized what he was saying and began to blush furiously. Hiroki sped on trying to hide his embarrassment, "anyway, that's why Akihiko's NL audience is primarily human. He just doesn't have all the real mechanics of neko love down."

"Hiro-san, will you teach me?" Nowaki asked. "I want to know these things, so that I can make our relationship equitable, as you said."

"Sure, Nowaki," Hiroki replied. In a rare moment of levity he added, "As long as you don't go selling off all our feline secrets."

Nowaki smiled back at his handsome hybrid, then his face got serious. "Hiro-san, speaking of equity."

Hiroki pulled back and sat up kneeling between the man's legs, as Nowaki shifted and sat up. The young intern reached over and pulled his jeans off the arm of the couch and took a folded piece of paper out of one of the pockets. He handed this to Hiroki.

"What's this?" Hiroki looked puzzled as he began to unfold it.

"It's your present." Nowaki's voice almost sounded shy. "I had to go downtown to get it and that was why I was late yesterday afternoon. And then with everything that happened, I completely forgot. So, here it is now."

Hiroki had unfolded it and was scanning the paper. His large russet eyes blinked rapidly as he tried to comprehend what he was reading.

"What is this, Nowaki?" Hiroki whispered, his breath catching. He held the paper out to his owner with a shaking hand.

Nowaki leaned in and gently pushed Hiroki's hand back to his "V" furred chest. "It's your emancipation certificate, Hiro-san. You have human status. You're free now."

Nowaki leaned in and gently kissed Hiroki's forehead.

Hiroki looked down at the paper in his hand and then back up at Nowaki, his ears lay sideways in confusion. "But, Miyagi said it's a very involved process for a neko to be freed. I talked with him about it. He said it can take months, sometimes years for this stuff to be arranged."

Nowaki looked into Hiroki's wondering eyes.

"Yes, that's true, Hiro-san, but the head of Health and Hybrid Services for the country brought his daughter into the hospital a month ago and I helped save his little girl. He gave me his card before he left the hospital and told me to call if I ever needed something. I called him the first day after I brought you home from Tsumori's."

"You did?" Hiroki eyes were glistening with tears, his voice laden with a dozen different emotions.

"Well, Hiro-san, I told you I loved you and I meant that not as a pet, but as an equal." Nowaki hesitated a moment, looking uncertain. "And I want you to stay with me forever, Hiro-san, but I want to know it's because of your own free will." Nowaki smiled slyly and added, "Besides, after you paid me back for what I gave to Tsumori, I believe that you basically bought yourself. So now you're your own owner."

"Nowaki… I… I don't know what to say." Hiroki whispered looking into the other's eyes. Tears rolled down his cheeks. "There has never been anything I have ever wanted more in my life…" Hiroki dropped the paper in his lap and gathered Nowaki's face in his hands pulling the man to him.

He gave Nowaki a kiss that left them both breathless. Then Hiroki looked down, his cheeks glowing red. "I mean I never wanted anything more in my life… until I met you, that is."

Now it was Nowaki's turn to look shocked. "Hiro-san…" he breathed.

Hiroki, before Nowaki had a chance to say anything more, held his hand up for the younger male to stop. Then he leaned over and pulled out a small black velvet bag from under the couch cushion. He handed this to Nowaki.

"What's this, Hiro-san?"

"Well, I… uh… wanted to get a present for you too, Nowaki." Hiroki tail curled and uncurled with anxious anticipation.

"You didn't have to do that, Hiro-san." Nowaki shook his head.

"Yes, yes I did," Hiroki said firmly. "So open it please, Nowaki."

Nowaki opened the bag carefully and slid its contents into the palm of one large hand.

"Hiro-san," he gasped.

It was a silver chain collar that sported a blue stone pendant that was the same color as his eyes.

Nowaki blinked back tears of his own as he read the inscription on the front:

_Kusama Nowaki_

_Belongs to Kamijou Hiroki,_

_So stay away!_

_Or if you find lost or injured_

_Return IMMEDIATELY!_

_(P.S. Hefty reward as he is priceless)_

"Umm, they said they would add my phone number once I got my new phone," Hiroki said uncomfortably, watching the younger man turn the stone over in his hand.

Flipping it over, on the back Nowaki read:

_K.N._

_I want to dwell_

_in the eye of your storm_

_forever_

_K.H._

_(P.S P.S. I love you)_

Nowaki just sat there silently turning the pendant over and over.

"Nowaki," Hiroki said hesitantly. This was the first time the neko had seen Nowaki cry and he wasn't quite sure what to do.

"I feel kind of bad, you set me free, but I want to bind you to me. I want you to belong to me forever… Not as my property, but as my partner… my family."

Hiroki, despite the fact he was blushing furiously, moved in closer to Nowaki. He put his hand over one of Nowaki's that held the pendant. With the other he reached up and brushed the tears away from the younger male's eyes.

"Can I put it on you, Nowaki?" Hiroki asked softly, his voice hesitant.

Nowaki looked up into Hiroki's eyes.

"Hiro-san, being an orphan, my whole life I have never wanted anything more than to truly belong to someone… Hiro-san… this," Nowaki closed his fingers over the collar and the hybrid's hand gripping them tightly. "This thing that you're offering me… I don't know what to say."

The hand that Hiroki had used to brush away the younger man's tears was now cupping the side of Nowaki's face. Hiroki leaned in taking Nowaki's lips gently between his own. He pulled back only long enough to whisper:

"Say yes."

He leaned back in and kissed Nowaki again.

Nowaki wrapped his arms around his cinnamon neko and moved forward, until now Hiroki was once again lying on his back on the couch. He broke the kiss and smiled down at Hiroki through his tears.

"Yes, Hiro-san… Yes."

Hiroki took the collar from Nowaki and even as he lay there, reached up and fastened it around his owner… um, partner's strong neck.

Nowaki reached up one hand to touch the pendant hanging just between his collarbones. He leaned back down and caught Hiroki's mouth once more with his own. Then he caught the lithe hybrid's body in his strong arms once again and stood up pulling Hiroki with him.

"Where are we going?" Hiroki asked, though he really didn't need to.

"I'm taking you to the bedroom, Hiro-san," Nowaki said smiling again. It was yet another new smile and this one was particularly radiant. "It seems we still have quite a bit of celebrating to do and…"

"I know," Hiroki sighed, snuggling under his partner's arm for the short walk down the hall. "And we're just getting started."

"Yes!" Nowaki said happily.

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**So I am posting this and then going to get caught up on my shout outs. Hope you enjoyed it, as always, let me know either way. This Chapter was very pleasurable to write.**

**Egoistfangirl, there's your tail job. You knew a chapter with the number sixty-nine would have to have some head and tail action, right?**

**I told you I am a tease: next chapter penetration (and it only took us seventy chapters to get here)**

**I have two new "M" fics "Don't Call Me Baby"(Terrorist) completed by Cerberus and "On Another Path" (Hiroki/Akihiko) just started. If you check these out, please drop a review and let me know.**

**X- thank you my marathon reviewer. I'll talk to you more fully in the final notes once they're added. P.S. Egoistfangirl has an account now… though I have no issues with you using the review board to exchange communication. (Though I don't know FF's policy).**

**Ardstars, thanks for the favoriting/alert**

**Yaoilover796, Moonlight at Dusk, Puppyfacetwo, Demoncookie8, FreshPrinceLover, IAMLEGEND, 000LuvYaoi000, Midoritenchi90-**

**Tseli-Thank you so much for dropping the note. Just knowing you're out there is helpful. Glad you're enjoying the story so much.**

**Yaoifangirl4ever- I hear you, sister. You tell him!**

**LoserSquad- glad you finally got caught up!**

**Teabags- You're so funny, girl!**

**Alexia Featherchild- Again, so glad you are back amongst us and writing again. Thank you so much for all the individual chapter reviews. You have no idea how much they brighten my day.**

**Midnight Reader- I bow to you. "Hiro-worship", just brilliant. I can't believe I didn't think of that… so jealous. Also, yes, this Nowaki is restrained… but only because this Hiroki has been through so much. Also, yes, they are like that … you should totally read the Tyrant. There's an ova too you can watch at aarinfantasy… a great yaoi site. Very good couple to follow and it will open a whole other world of fan fiction for you.**

**Avery- So glad you are enjoying the lemon. Your Hiro-san must be terribly cute, then. Yes, begging can be very enjoyable (to hear). Shall I write a begging scene for you sometime?**

**Egoisfangirl- "On Another Path" is going to make you crazy…**

**Kirakrz- so glad you like the serial. Yes, long and drawn out is fun… I wish there was such a machine all the time, but then I would never get anything done. Reminds me of "Red Dwarf's" "Better than Life Game," why else do you think I am writing so much. As I am writing these author's notes after the fact, you will see up ahead that I don't sleep much; maybe four hours a night, especially in the summer as I am particularly photosensitive.**

**Madame Masquerade 64- * bows * thank you for the compliment.**

**Lillemmi- whatever you are suffering from, love, I hope you feel better soon.**

**X ( ) - I could not hope for a better reaction than that. I know that I have probably said this already around here somewhere, but that Uke Flu review you wrote was amazing. Thank you for putting so much time and thought into your post. I am amazed by how my stories are evolving not only as I write the characters more, but also as I learn more about them through the readers. The way you and other reviewers have dimensionalized them is fantastic.**

**Egoistfangirl- so glad you are enjoying the lemon, I appreciate your use of the word sophisticated. What can I say… I like cerebral sex (the other is nice too, don't get me wrong) but reading it…the mind needs to be engaged… as well as other parts. And thank you. I suppose I shouldn't have complained too much about the time as I realized later, I am usually working on two chapters simultaneously. Moving back and forth as I get stuck or overwhelmed. The only bad thing about working that way is when I put something I wanted to do in one fic in another and then I'm like "damn, I either have to take this out or come up with something new." Oh, well, I still get more written that way.**


	70. First: Egoist

**Warning: Egoist Lemon Cont.**

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><p><strong>Neko-Hiro<strong>

**Chapter Seventy: First**

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><p>Once they were in the bedroom, Hiroki and Nowaki laid down together, side by side, facing each other on the futon. Nowaki kissed Hiroki's forehead, the bridge of his neko's nose, its tip. Then he tenderly took Hiroki's lips between his own, all the while holding his cinnamon catman lovingly in his arms.<p>

Hiroki met Nowaki's mouth with his own, though his response was suddenly more hesitant. While he had fucked and been fucked quite a bit, he had rarely…if ever, made love.

Hiroki felt Nowaki bring one of his large hands up and fingers gently caressed his sensitive neko ears. They flattened with pleasure at Nowaki's touch. From there the man ran his big hand down the catman's back. The warmth and the thrill of it sent shivers down Hiroki's spine; he tingled all the way to the end of his tail.

Nowaki felt this and his hand traveled down further.

Nowaki encircled Hiroki's trembling tail at its base with his fingers and slid them down its furry length almost all the way to its tip. The silky appendage automatically curled around his stroking hand. Nowaki broke off their kiss and pulled Hiroki's cinnamon whip tail to his lips.

Hiroki's neko tail was almost as sensitive as his ears and as delightful as this felt, it embarrassed him. No one had ever paid that much attention to his tail before, unless it was to brutally pull it. Hiroki looked down at Nowaki's chest, his cheeks pink.

"Nowaki, between this and the pair bathing, if you're not careful, you're going to get hairballs."

"Hairballs are a small price to pay for being able to love you, Hiro-san."

Nowaki moved his mouth from kissing Hiroki's tail to his neko's elegant neck. Hiroki could feel the man smile against his skin before the young intern began kissing up his throat.

Nowaki moved his hand to his neko's chest. Hiroki felt the fur of his own tail (as Nowaki still held it) wisp across one of his nipples. He gasped at the feel of this.

Nowaki traveled his fur wrapped palm over Hiroki's tight torso. Hiroki shuddered with the ecstasy of the sensation. His cock had quickly become hard again. The hybrid felt Nowaki's own renewed arousal pressing into him as well.

Nowaki released his mate's tail and his hand smoothed down Hiroki's thigh. He lifted the neko's muscular leg and draped it over his hip.

"Enough foreplay," Hiroki growled.

His cheeks burned as he said this, but not nearly as much as some other places on his body. He wanted Nowaki inside of him desperately. He pushed out of Nowaki's embrace and moved over on the bed assuming the receptive neko position.

Nowaki looked at Hiroki with a perplexed expression his face. He ran his palm down the neko's sleek side. "Hiro-san, why are you kneeling like that?" He asked curiously

Hiroki gave Nowaki a shocked look before he dropped his eyes. He was turning beet red and his traitorous tail betrayed his insecurity by slipping from where it had been lying curled over his side and drawing down in between his legs.

"Because I'm an uke neko, Nowaki." Hiroki huffed to cover his embarrassment. "This is how we do it!"

Nowaki, much more puppy than cat, gently pushed Hiroki over onto his side and then rolled him onto his back as he climbed on top of the disconcerted neko. Nowaki was now lying in between Hiroki's thighs. He gently pinned the hybrid's wrists up on either side of Hiroki's cinnamon brown head.

He put a kiss on Hiroki's throat. "But, Hiro-san, I want to see your face when we do it."

Beneath him, huge russet eyes looked up.

"Gahhh…" Hiroki's ears swiveled back and flattened. "Why would you want to do that, Nowaki?"

Hiroki was suddenly very nervous. The only person he'd ever fucked from the front was Akihiko and then the man had been wearing a blindfold. Not that he was about to tell Nowaki that.

"I want to see you when I love you, Hiro-san; I want to watch you come." Nowaki's shaggy head dipped down and nuzzled the base of one of Hiroki's human ears.

"Why must you say such embarrassing things, Nowaki?" Hiroki chided, but the man's teasing lips against his skin once again just increased the already painful ache inside him.

"Why not?" Nowaki murmured moving his head down and taking one of Hiroki's attentive nipples into his mouth. He took it gently between his teeth and pulled up slightly as his tongue grazed its tip.

Hiroki could hardly speak under the spell of Nowaki's careful attendance, let alone think. "Okay, fine," he gasped.

Nowaki left off his exquisite torture of Hiroki's chest and slipped back down so he was resting low between the neko's thighs. "I'm going to prepare you now, Hiro-san. When males do it together, that's important. Right?"

"You don't have to tell me everything you're going to do, Nowaki…"

Hiroki's sentence was cut short as the man's finger traced his puckered ring. One finger pressed slowly in until it slipped in past the first circle of muscle.

"I know, Hiro-san, but I want to make sure that everything is okay. I'm worried you might still be sore." Nowaki slid his finger in and out slowly. "You're still so wet, Hiro-san," Nowaki breathed happily. "It's amazing." He leaned down and nibbled Hiroki's low belly as he said this.

"It's PHS," Hiroki gasped.

"What?" Nowaki asked in between a mouthful of abs.

"Annhhh… Nothing… Nowaki, don't stop."

"Lift your hips a little, Hiro-san."

Hiroki did as he was asked, in fact, it was all he could do not to push back against the man's finger. Nowaki varied his thrusts and experimentally added a second finger.

Hiroki winced, but tried to hide this.

Nowaki looked up at him from between his thighs.

"Okay, Hiro-san?"

Hiroki nodded, bit his lip, and looked away. _How can he ask those things with such an easy tone?_ _He's never even fucked anyone before. Where does he get that kind of confidence? _

Despite Hiroki's nod, Nowaki went back to one finger and waited for the neko to adjust.

Hiroki moaned as the man's finger grazed his tender gland again.

"Don't, Nowaki, don't touch me there or I'll come again." The cinnamon hybrid tried to keep the begging tone out of his voice.

"I don't mind, Hiro-san," Nowaki purred from below. He leaned his head over and licked the end of Hiroki's weeping dick.

"No," Hiroki panted. He couldn't remember ever coming so easily, not since he was kit-teen.

Nowaki slid his finger out and slid his body up.

Hiroki felt the tip of the man's cock against his portal and a small growl of want burned his throat.

"I'm putting it in now, Hiro-san."

The moment that Nowaki felt the soft, slick heat of the neko's insides, it was all he could do to hold back. He'd never felt anything like this before and it was beyond magical, fucking amazing more like.

"By the gods, Hiro-san, you feel so good. You are so tight!"

Hiroki tried and failed to bite back his moans as he felt himself stretched by Nowaki's impressive member. Tears welled up in his eyes as he felt Nowaki take him, inch by inch. He was still tender, but the feeling of fullness, of surrounding his lover…

yes, lover…

was profound. Hiroki still couldn't believe that he had finally found love.

Large russet eyes opened and found themselves gazing into the infinite sky of Nowaki's blue gaze.

"Okay to move, Hiro-san?"

"Yes… please," Hiroki pleaded.

Nowaki's blue eyes never left his neko. He wanted every cry, every breath, every tear captured and committed to his memory. He began to move in slow short strokes and watched as Hiroki writhed beneath him. At each pass a thick vein on the man's cock slid a glancing pressure over that particular spot. Hiroki was beside himself.

The young intern's speed picked up.

"Nowaki…" Hiroki felt new tears rising as Nowaki's rhythm increased.

"Hiro-san, I'm sorry," Nowaki panted apologetically, "I really can't hold back, you have me so hot."

Hiroki hoped his building purr covered his pain/pleasured groans as Nowaki's thrusts became even more energetic.

True to his seme staying power, the younger male's stamina was quite amazing. Even as Nowaki pumped into the cinnamon neko, he reached down and captured Hiroki's mouth, swallowing Hiroki's hot gasps. He left off the neko's mouth and licked up his salty cheek.

Hiroki could no longer tell if his tears were from pain or from love. Maybe now they were from joy knowing, regardless, that Nowaki was there to catch them.

As the tension in his low belly reached it crescendo, the cinnamon neko's back was thrown into a beautiful arch. Caught in the throes of his impending release, Hiroki's long fingers desperately clutched at the sheets.

"Hiro-san, look at me," Nowaki entreated.

Hiroki fought to open his eyes. His face was contorted in its expression of near climax, Hiroki felt terribly vulnerable. Self-conscious of this, he petitioned in between gasps, "Nowaki, please don't look down on me."

Nowaki loved his neko's fragile pride. He lowered his forehead till it touched Hiroki's cinnamon brow.

"I understand, Hiro-san… I love you."

Nowaki hung his shaggy head over Hiroki's shoulder. One of his hands grabbed a hold of the feline professor's weeping dick and as he continued to thrust, within a few more vigorous strokes of his hand and hip, each uttering an ecstatic cry, wonderfully, as if the gods were approving their match, the lovers came together.

* * *

><p><strong>NEW AN: If you're wondering about the dialogue in this chapter, a riff on the drama CD of the Egoists first tie together.<br>**

**Loopy Hutton- your faithfulness rocks. Thanks darling!  
><strong>

**Atalaya86- I always love to hear from you. Keep up the good work on your Junjou Pets. Sorry I haven't reviewed it lately. Thank you again for posting. And I'd be happy to have you point out places you think are too much. Feel free to send me a PM any time.  
><strong>

**Fire Artist- thank you, so glad you're liking the story and the characters, at least the egoists feel IC. This story was finished once before, but the editing is taking some time. Now work calls, so we'll have to see how my updating goes.  
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**Keira Kinover Mar- your cries for terrorist will not go unheeded. Just hang in a couple more chapters, my dear.**

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**Yesterday was my first day to miss a post in seventy chapters and what a day to miss too! Sorry all, two things conspired against me… First I am a bit of an insomniac…so I have been writing when I can't sleep (though I also write when I get up first thing and on my lunch hour too *OCD much?*) Monday, I finally crashed… Artistic temperament and all… **

**(x Moymoy- Dawg, I think you're a bad influence on me.)**

**Anyway...I had wanted hot up ended up with sweet instead...damn my propensities. Hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.**

… **Now…**

**DiabloicaJeevas- thank you for favoriting/alerting**

**Rain621- Thank you for trying the story, I am glad you like it.**

**BlackFlamingo101- Glad to see you here and never hesitate to review an earlier chapter, I love it. Glad that chapter made you squee. (*bows* blushing at your praise)**

**Teabags- no worries, I figured as much. Don't worry, I still love you. Hope the chaos settles down and your new classes get off to a good start. There could be a manga if you'd draw it.**

**Moonlight at Dusk, I AM LEGEND, Yaiolover796, Lillemmi, FreshPrinceLover- So glad you loved it.**

**MidoriTenchi90- I love you too and you could, if only it were so easy.**

**Madame Masquerade 64- thank you for the "Promised Land" and I am so glad you were moved by the chapter. Thank you for the kind comments… Yes, I wanted Hiroki to do something really nice for Nowaki (and vice versa).**

**Nadiwa Yagari- hope that was hot enough for you.**

**AlexiaFeatherchild-I can't thank you enough for all the reviewing you did this weekend. Taking the time to go chapter by chapter like that, I feel so honored. It is much appreciated. And your story about the shelter, just about broke my heart.**

**Alecritique- Sorry I made you cry. Glad you're enjoying the Cerberus fics. Please leave me a review for them (Insert sad puppy eyes here). Also, yes, I debated about the sixty-nine but kind of end up going with a cat o' nine tails instead (yeah.. that joke stunk, I know).**

**Maggie Mae from Penny Lane- I have been loving your reviews. You are right in the choice of gifts and what they signify. Very astute. Also, your feedback for "On Another Path" was amazing. I can't believe the depth of comments that fic has generated in its first chapter. You and X should start talking, I think. Maybe I will write an NL novel…Oh wait, that's what this is. : )**

**X( ) Thank you for all the amazing reviews. I loved your thoughts on "On Another Path" I think if you get an account your penname should be Egoistprofessor. Both for your careful articulations in reviews and because honestly, you could teach a course on the couple…Thank you by the way for the Penguin recommendation. What an amazing fic, I think it is one of the best I have read, just amazing… It left me speechless ( not to mention feeling completely inadequate in my own ramblings). Also, where does one acquire the egoist CDs? I'd love to get them… I feel like such a novice. And it seems you liked my reviews of Darkestforever's fic, "Somewhere in the Middle"? I love the way that woman writes and the dimensionality of the characters as she writes them is amazing. Great "Uke Flu" review by the way. Now if I could just get you to read terrorist and review "Don't Call Me Baby," I'd be set. Can't wait for your feedback on "The Escort" too.**

**Egoistfangirl- Thank you as always. I cannot take credit for the "Promised Land" line, that honor falls to Madame Masquerade 64, I'm afraid. Hope things go well at school and I hope to still see an occasional review from you. I think this is one of my favorite chapters too. Just the right amount of tart and sweet. Also, I planned that two sided aspect for the collar for Nowaki, as I felt it was an apt way to represent the two sides of Hiroki (well, he has more than that, but you get what I mean).**


	71. Seconds: Egoist

**Warning: Egoist Lemon**

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><p><strong>Neko-Hiro<strong>

**Chapter Seventy-One: Seconds**

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><p>Hiroki lay on his side; Nowaki curled around him enjoying the afterglow of their first "coming" together. They had been drowsing like that for a while.<p>

Nowaki leaned his shaggy head over Hiroki's shoulder. "Hiro-san?" he kissed the neko's salty neck.

"Mmmmm?"

Hiroki turned his head and kissed Nowaki's forehead, though it still made him blush. Then he turned back around and pushed his shoulders closer into his partner's chest.

"That was nice, right?" Nowaki slid one of his large hands from where it had been around the neko's waist and ran it over Hiroki's hip and down the hybrid's thigh.

Hiroki looked down at Nowaki's arm and saw the new scratch next to the gauze covering the one he had given the man at the vet's earlier that week.

Hiroki blushed feeling badly that he hadn't thought to tell Nowaki earlier about neko rolling after sex. Usually he didn't roll unless he was heated, but with PHS affecting him... Still, Nowaki, as always, hadn't struck back and had almost immediately moved away to give the hybrid some space.

"Nowaki, I'm sorry about your arm," Hiroki murmured. It was not the first time he'd issued such an apology.

"That's okay, Hiro-san. Please don't apologize anymore. It's nothing really and besides, you couldn't help it after all." Nowaki's voice was soothing. His hand never stopped in its languid sweep of Hiroki's skin. The young intern's fingertips located the hollow of Hiroki's hip and swirled there, caught in a lazy eddy.

The feel of Nowaki's hand stirred Hiroki almost immediately.

_I must really be getting close to my heat_.

Usually after coming all he wanted to do was sleep, but now he was finding himself strongly aroused again.

Hiroki's tail slipped up Nowaki's thigh and down over the man's hip. The end of it swished back and forth sensually over one of Nowaki's firm ass cheeks.

Nowaki moved his hand back up Hiroki's thigh and then his fingertips drifted over and down, grazing along the surface of the catman's tight belly. They swept up the hybrid's chest and began to lightly pinch one of the neko's nipples. The dark-haired youth brushed one of Hiroki's human ears with his lips and then Nowaki nuzzled up behind it.

His hot breath tickled the neko's sensitive skin as he whispered, "Hiro-san, any chance we can do it again? I promise to watch out for your roll this time."

Though Hiroki's face was turned away from him, Nowaki could still feel his mate's blush. He wasn't sure if that was because of his question or because almost instantly after he asked, it a deep purr began rumbling in Hiroki's chest.

"Shall I take that as a yes, Hiro-san?" Nowaki purred back before gently nipping the neko's ear. He proceeded to place small soft love bites all the way down to Hiroki's shoulders. His nimble fingers trailed down and stroked the length of Hiroki's quickening cock.

"I have to warn you, Hiro-san, I was gentle before, but I don't know if we start again if I can continue to restrain myself." Nowaki said this and then licked the hybrid's shoulder blade. He followed this with a kiss that halfway through turned into another tender bite. "I might be a bit rough and I don't want to do anything that will hurt you or scare... I mean, make you uncomfortable."

Though Hiroki didn't say anything at first, his cinnamon tail curled back over the man's waist and encircled Nowaki's seemingly ever-ready erection.

"Can I take the receptive uke neko posture this time?"

"Yes, if it pleases you, Hiro-san."

Nowaki sat up and before Hiroki even had the chance to move, he felt strong hands lifting him up and gently moving him into position.

"Hiro-san, you really do look so hot like that," Nowaki's voice was husky with admiration as he looked at the cinnamon hybrid. He loved the vision laid before him: the slender neko now on his knees, his lovely ass lifted, chest down, arms stretched out in front of him.

Hiroki had bowed his head between his outstretched arms, resting his still-damp forehead on the sheets. Nowaki lay back down alongside him, propping himself on an elbow. He leaned in and with his free hand caught Hiroki's chin and turned the blushing catman towards him.

"I love you, Hiro-san," Nowaki murmured happily as he sought Hiroki's lips once more.

Nowaki kissed his partner deeply. Halfway through the kiss, he opened his eyes and was enthralled to see Hiroki's tail standing straight up with the thrill of it. Nowaki released the neko's chin and ran his hand down Hiroki's sleek side, his palm slipped over onto the cinnamon cat's back. The young intern traced the delicious submissive curve of it.

The neko professor's words were not so docile however; the pre-heated neko growled.

"Are you going to mount me or not, Nowaki?"

Nowaki sat up, and moved himself back behind Hiroki, though his hand never left the neko's skin.

"Oh, I most surely am, Hiro-san." He smiled.

His words sent a shiver coursing through the hybrid's slender frame. Nowaki leaned down and nipped the neko's hip. Hiroki's long cinnamon tail had curled over in accommodation. Nowaki ran the neko's tail through his fingers and he was rewarded with a heated moan.

Nowaki's large hands palmed Hiroki's ass. They moved the neko's pert cheeks apart as the young intern's mouth licked the base of the hybrid's tail and then kissed downwards.

"What are you doing, Nowaki?" Hiroki's still wasn't used to the idea of such attention in this area.

"Don't do..." His words were cut off as tremor of pleasure shook him when Nowaki's tongue, for the second tie that night, traced his pink ring.

Between Nowaki's earlier release and the neko's own juices, Hiroki was dripping.

"So wet," Nowaki breathed.

Hiroki bit back an embarrassed retort as Nowaki spread him further and pressed his tongue in.

Nowaki could hear Hiroki's rasping gasps and feel the neko panting beneath him.

Hiroki couldn't help himself, he let out a low heat-growl as Nowaki continued to taste him, the growl rumbled harder when one of Nowaki's skilled fingers joined his tongue. The overstimulated neko couldn't help but push back into them.

The neko was still relatively relaxed, so Nowaki pulled out and then pressed in with his cock. He slid himself in faster this time, pleased with how rapidly Hiroki adjusted.

Hiroki's breathing quickened.

"Deep breaths, Hiro-san," Nowaki encouraged as he started to move.

"Ahhhn, don't move yet," Hiroki barked, this and his growl made him sound oddly canine.

"Ahh, Hiro-san, I'm sorry, but I really can't hold back," Nowaki gasped. "You feel so amazing inside!"

As Nowaki thrust his hips, he reached under the hybrid's belly. He took Hiroki's drooling dick in his hand. "You're soaking here too, Hiro-san," Nowaki murmured in awe.

"Don't touch me there," Hiroki wheezed, "I don't want to come yet." The poor catman was so aroused already he could barely contain himself. Tears filled his eyes again as the passion of Nowaki's movements increased.

"But I want to make you feel good too, Hiro-san," Nowaki panted.

While the tall man had relished making love to Hiroki face to face, in this position, witnessing his lover's slender shoulders shake; seeing the muscles flexing in the lithe catman's back; watching his cock pumping into his beloved's amazing backside, the new seme was overwhelmed with the primitive power of these sights.

He released Hiroki's shaft and grasped his uke's hips, pulling the neko's ass tighter to him. "Fuck, Hiro-san… you feel so incredible!" Nowaki exclaimed, his cheeks burned a bit pink when the uncharacteristic profanity escaped him.

Hearing the pleasure in his new seme's voice, Hiroki, despite his discomfort, felt something inside him he hadn't even realized was tense, relax. The power of this sensation brought new tears to his eyes.

"Hiro-san, please tell me what a neko would do,"

Nowaki's sweet entreaty somehow gripped Hiroki's heart and mortified him at the same time.

"Nnnn... no." Hiroki's pride chafed at the thought.

"Please, Hiro-san… I want to be neko with you," came the young intern's desire filled whisper.

Despite his resolve Hiroki's pride crumbled at the desperate earnestness in Nowaki's voice.

"Puh… puh… pull my tail," Hiroki stammered in between gasps. Then he quickly added, "but n-not too hard. Please, Nowaki."

Nowaki grasped Hiroki's tail at the base, it made the most amazing handle as he continued move.

"Like this, Hiro-san?" Nowaki panted, giving it a light tug.

Hiroki's tail wrapped around Nowaki's arm all the way up to his elbow. "Ahh…h-harder," Hiroki moaned, his whole body blushing.

"Like this?" The younger male tightened his grip, and allowed his rocking hips to create a pulsing resistance with the neko's sensitive appendage.

"Oh… god… yes… Nowaki," Hiroki groaned. He was so overtaken by the sudden endorphin rush that he forgot his self-consciousness. A wanton purr growled in his throat and he reached back to stroke his own slick, aching cock.

"More, Hiro-san?" Nowaki voice was thick and low. Each time the neko's tail became taut in his hand, Hiroki clenched around him. This and the impassioned sounds Hiroki was making had brought Nowaki right to the brink.

"N-no," Hiroki puffed, "N-now… b-bite my neck." After a few more shuddering gasps Hiroki pleaded, "p-please, Nowaki,".

Nowaki couldn't help but smile at how hot his neko sounded when he said this. No wonder there was such a big NL market. He released Hiroki's tantalized tail and stretched his long body over the hybrid's. He was so much taller than Hiroki the neko didn't even have to shift his position. The tall man supported himself on one strong, lean arm as the other reached around gathering Hiroki to his chest.

Hiroki felt his mate's mouth on the back of his neck. At the same time, the cool disk of the tag on Nowaki's new collar grazed his shoulder. At the feel of these things and the realization of their significance, Hiroki's slender frame was engulfed by his orgasm.

Nowaki rode the waves of his neko's pleasure until they carried him out into his own ecstatic release.

Hiroki waited until Nowaki had finished climaxing and then the two males collapsed together. They lay there panting, their breathing aligned. Hiroki tensed, expecting to loose himself again but this time he didn't. Nowaki likewise had been prepared to move and disengage quickly but feeling his mate suddenly relax beneath him he sighed and wrapped his arms around Hiroki. He pulled them together onto their sides, leaving his spent member sheathed in his neko professor.

After a few minutes Hiroki slipped off Nowaki and rolled over facing his partner. Nowaki wrapped his mate in his arms and pulled the hybrid into him. Hiroki rested his damp head against his mate's broad chest.

"I like neko sex, Hiro-san," Nowaki said happily, tenderly brushing Hiroki's sweat heavy bangs off Hiroki's hot forehead.

"Yeah, it can be really good when it's done right." Hiroki sighed contentedly.

Nowaki didn't have to ask how he'd done; the neko's next soft sigh was answer enough.

"Hiro-san?…"

"Hmmmm?…"

"How soon until you're ready to go again?"

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**Okay, so this is the end of the epic egoist lemon… There's five chapters left… I haven't written them yet (obviously) but I know what I want to do so… Twins and Avery, hope you didn't think I forgot my guest stars.**

**I hope all you readers will hang with me to the end now and not jump ship since the lemon is done. I will post my author notes when I get home tonight since I don't have to teach and I am getting caught up on the chapters I missed, so check back and catch those if they're of interest.**

**KaedeKusanagi- thank you for all the alerts/favoriting… now if you'd just leave a review…**

**FreshPrinceLover, Nadiwa Yagari, Puppyfacetwo – love the notes as always. Okay, today pretend I am Hiroki giving you a hug. I promise I won't bite.**

**IAMLEGEND- IAMMAGIC (with lemons that is)**

**Madame Masquerade 64- you slay me every day… I love you.**

**Midorithench90- *hugs you back* you are such a sweetie. I love that you have been with me so faithfully through this fic. *smooch***

**Alecritique- Go back and review those chapters… either that or give me a cookie too. Always delighted to be able to give someone a "lady boner," now you can pass that embarrassing comment back.**

**Maggie Mae from Penny Lane: You have been writing such amazing reviews. I know what you mean about having an interest in something and not having anyone to have a good discussion with. Maddening… Junjou what? Yaoi what the hell? So frustrating… Anyway, thank you so much for all the thought you put into your comments. I suppose I am a bit like Akihiko. I'd never really thought of it that way, but it's true.**

**I am glad you liked it. And, yes… because he was so abused, Hiroki's pride is a bit more tenuous in this fic than others. He doesn't feel worthy, thus the apprehension about facing Nowaki. It's like facing love and also allowing himself to be seen as he is. The purple pen is much that way too. It's about feeling worthy and confident.**

**X ( )- So glad you liked it. I am glad you feel like I "captured the essence of their dynamics" (see now I am quoting back to you). Thank you so much for your concern. "Cute in the most uncutest way," yes, that pretty much describes me. Please rest assured that I do not find you at all patronizing. Thank you again for recommending that Penguin fic… It haunted me for hours after I read it. Really a brilliant piece of fiction. Please don't put too much pressure on yourself about "The Escort," I am sure what ever you have come up with in response will be amazing. You have never disappointed me yet. You and Maggie Mae should have a conversation. Feel free to use the review board for "On Another Path," as I would love to listen in…**

**BlackFlamingo101- Hooray! You caught up… hope you enjoy the rest of the fic. Better late than never! Glad you love the cat ears and as you have probably noticed…unrelated rants are welcome here. Thank you for the lovely sentiments *bows in appreciation.***

**Avery- glad you are here and never feel the need to apologize for having a life, you funny egotistical egoist. : ) And I could never forget you, I just usually only shout out to those who have most recently shouted back these days… Though you remind me I should holler at a few other readers I haven't heard from in a while. Now that school's back on, things are busier for a lot of people. You were right, the end to that chapter was abrupt as I usually allow for a bit of afterglow, but I was really tired when I wrote this… so they came… and I went… Anyway, hopefully the next few chapters will make up for that. Glad you are enjoying the extended lemon however.**

**Egoistfangirl- thank you for the well wishes. Now don't neglect your homework (like I should talk right now). Personally after writing this tale, I wish I had a tail of my own. I know, right? Only Nowaki could make hairballs sound sexy. I am so delighted that you and some of the other readers picked up on the theme of equity. It's a big one for me in a lot of my pieces. Thank you for the kind words about my smut.**


	72. Shampoo: Egoist

**Warning: Egoist Fluff**

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><p><strong>Neko-Hiro<strong>

**Chapter Seventy-Two: Shampoo**

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><p>After numerous rounds of various species style sex Nowaki half-carried an exhausted Hiroki into the bathroom. Hiroki was too tired to even take the customary shower before he slipped into the hot bath Nowaki drew. While Hiroki sat there soaking, Nowaki went to change the sheets on their futon.<p>

Nowaki came back after making the bed only to find the hybrid almost asleep in the tub. He crawled in with Hiroki and soon the neko found himself nestled between the man's legs with his head resting on Nowaki's soapy chest. Outside of their recently steamy shower and of course the occasional mutual grooming, the neko wasn't really much of one for bathing together, but he was so tired he didn't complain.

The young intern gently scrubbed Hiroki's belly.

"I'm afraid I rather made a mess of you, Hiro-san." Nowaki sounded more pleased than remorseful.

"I don't understand it." The sleepy catman sighed and closed his eyes as Nowaki shifted his attentions and started cheerfully washing Hiroki's cinnamon brown hair.

"What's that, Hiro-san?"

Nowaki was currently shaping another pair of neko ears with the lathered locks on top of his neko professor's head.

One large russet eye opened and looked suspiciously up at the goofily grinning youth.

"How is it that you're the one who handled most of the um… physical activity and yet you don't even act like you're tired at all?" Hiroki would have normally turned pink when he said this, but the sated neko was even too worn out to blush.

Now Nowaki was making tiny devil's horns, twisting up wisps of the hybrid's hair. "It's my seme…"

"Staying power… yeah, yeah, I know," Hiroki interrupted and then yawned.

Nowaki looked down at his four-eared, demon-horned hybrid and smiled. His Hiro-san was so cute. He dipped his soapy hands in the water and then reached over the side of the tub carefully, trying not to jostle the weary neko too much.

"Here, Hiro-san," Nowaki said. He handed Hiroki a glass of water and some analgesic that he had brought in with him and had set down before climbing into the bath.

"What's this?" Hiroki asked, taking the pills cautiously from the younger male. "It's not an aphrodisiac is it, Nowaki? I don't think I could bear that at the moment."

"Of course not, Hiro-san." Nowaki sounded just the slightest bit hurt. "It's for all your… um… muscles, so you won't be so sore in the morning."

Hiroki sat up and took the medicine with a sip of the water.

"You need to drink that whole glass, Hiro-san," Nowaki advised. "You lost an awful lot of …ahhh…fluids and I don't want you to risk being dehydrated."

Much to Nowaki's relief, Hiroki, obediently drank the whole glass and handed the empty tumbler back. There were advantages to having a doctor in the family, even if he was still in training.

"Hiro-san?" Nowaki's voice held a note of concern when the neko didn't lie back down. He could feel the hybrid's tail stirring the water beneath the tub's bubbly surface.

"You're… erm… awfully nice to me, Nowaki."

Nowaki could see the back of the neko's neck flush and he thought he detected just the slightest quake in the catman's shoulders. He sat forward and wrapped his long arms around his lover and pulled Hiroki back into him.

"What kind of seme would I be if I didn't take care of my uke?" Nowaki's voice was grave.

Hiroki shifted onto his side; he closed his eyes as Nowaki began to gently massage his furry ears and thought of his life and all he had seen and experienced. "Unfortunately an average one I think," he sighed.

"Well, I'm not, and I'm not just your seme, Hiro-san." Nowaki began using the empty glass to pour water over Hiroki's soapy cinnamon head. "I'm your partner too, and besides I love you." He smiled as a bit of water got into the neko's shaved ear and it started to twitch.

Hiroki felt his pride stir but despite this he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Nowaki's nearest nipple. His long fingers reached up and traced the edge of the younger male's jaw.

"I'm… I'm so glad." Hiroki said nestling back down into Nowaki's chest.

Nowaki felt like his heart might burst with happiness in that moment looking down at the content cinnamon catman in his arms.

"Nowaki," Hiroki murmured against one of the man's pectorals.

"Yes, Hiro-san?"

"Will you scratch my stitched ear? It itches." Hiroki's voice was getting heavy with sleep.

"Of course, Hiro-san."

Nowaki leaned down and kissed his beloved neko's unfurrowed forehead. Then he gently rubbed Hiroki's shaved ear, until he could hear the hybrid begin softly snoring.

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**Okay, so hopefully everyone (with the exception of Nowaki) has had enough slices of egoist lemon to hold them a bit.**

**In celebration of navigating the lemons and because I was feeling bad for missing two days this week, so I wrote this bit of fluffiness when I was at work today. I am such a bad person.**


	73. Heart: Egoist, Roamantica, Terrorist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Seventy Three: Heart**

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><p>Sunday morning the sun crept through the bedroom window of Nowaki and Hiroki's apartment and found the two lovers peacefully waking up in each other's arms. Hiroki opened his eyes slowly. Nowaki was nuzzling the new mate-mark on the back of his neck.<p>

"Good morning, Hiro-san," Nowaki sighed into Hiroki's nape.

Hiroki was not particularly verbal in the morning, unless of course he was running late and then he was not so much very verbal as just very loud, so he simply sighed and pulled Nowaki's arms tighter around him.

"I don't have to work today, Hiro-san," Nowaki murmured happily. "Is there something special you'd like to do?"

"Maybe we should go see Miyagi and check on the kittens today," Hiroki proposed after a few minutes of comfortable silence. "Not that I'm worried about that obnoxious tom and those two skinny brats," he quickly added.

"Of course you're not, Hiro-san," Nowaki assured, but his voice could not disguise his smile.

"Perhaps before that, we can get you a phone and get your new number engraved on my collar." Nowaki was surprised at the sense of security Hiroki's gift had given him. It was as if a place in his heart that had long been drifting had suddenly found its mooring.

"Should we go out to breakfast then?" Hiroki's stomach gave a soft growl, and he realized that they had completely forgotten about dinner last night.

Nowaki pressed a bit closer, his long fingers reached up and traced the little "V" shaped patch on the cinnamon hybrid's chest.

"That would be fine, Hiro-san, though I think I might prefer breakfast in bed." The young intern underscored this with a soft nip to Hiroki's earlobe.

"Pervert, I want to be able to walk today." Though the hybrid knew already it was inevitable that they would have sex again before they got up. Hiroki could feel Nowaki's morning erection pressing against him.

_I have awakened the slumbering giant… in more ways than one._

The neko pressed back a bit himself and was disappointed when Nowaki's attentive hand stopped stroking his chest.

"Hiro-san." Nowaki's voice suddenly sounded slightly confused.

"What?" Hiroki growled.

"Your fur patch feels different this morning," Nowaki said; his observant fingers re-tracing the catman's cinnamon "V."

Hiroki frowned and looked down.

"Gahhh!" he cried and hugged his chest.

"What is it, Hiro-san?" Nowaki was very concerned by his lover's reaction.

"It's nothing!" Hiroki snapped, scooching away from him.

"That doesn't sound like nothing," Nowaki said reaching for Hiroki's scrunched shoulder. "Let me see, Hiro-san."

"NO!"

"Hiro-san."

Nowaki's voice was gentle but his big hand was firm as he grabbed Hiroki and rolled his mate over towards him. Hiroki had his head bowed and his arms crossed over his pecs.

"Hiro-san, show me," Nowaki cajoled.

"NO," Hiroki said, but his voice had lost some of its strength.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki's tone had become firm.

Hiroki sighed and his head dropped a bit more as his arms slowly lowered.

"It's so embarrassing, Nowaki," he mumbled. Hiroki's cheeks had grown quite red.

Nowaki had to bite his lip to keep from laughing when he saw Hiroki's chest. "Oh, Hiro-san," he finally said, his eyes dancing. A huge grin lit the new seme's handsome face. "Just when I thought you couldn't possibly get any cuter."

It appeared that overnight, the Kamijou cat's little "V" had filled in and now Hiroki's chest patch formed the perfect shape of a heart.

"It's not cute, it's PHS, and it's humiliating" Hiroki growled. His big eyes darted up at the smiling idiot who was now taking great delight in running his fingers around the edge of the neko's new heart.

"What?" Nowaki asked. He looked at Hiroki his blue eyes quizzical.

"It happens to all Kamijou hybrids, male ukes and females, when they're getting ready to go into heat. It goes away when the heat passes," Hiroki said blushing further.

Of course the neko had also heard of it happening on rare occasions when a Kamijou had truly fallen in love, but there was no way in hell he was going to tell Nowaki that.

"What about semes?"

"What?"

"What about seme Kamijous?" Nowaki asked curiously.

"It doesn't happen to semes because they're in heat all the time, you goof, you of all creatures should know that," As if to underscore his point, Hiroki reached around and rubbed his mildly aching backside.

_Thank the gods for analgesic._

"Ahhhh," Nowaki said as understanding dawned in his eyes. Then they shifted and suddenly the man looked very shrewd.

"Speaking of perpetual heat, Hiro-san," Nowaki threw back the sheet to reveal his own eager arousal.

As the pair had been sleeping naked together, neither had bothered to dress after their bath, when the bedclothes had been flipped backwards Hiroki's full nakedness was revealed as well.

"Stop that!" Hiroki cried and grabbed for the sheets, but not before Nowaki did. The young intern pulled them all off the bed. He was confused when Hiroki put his hands over his own morning's salute.

"Hiro-san, why are you being so shy all of a sudden?" Nowaki inquired, pulling the struggling neko's hands away. Then his blue eyes widened and suddenly became all twinkly when he saw it.

"Hiro-san, your other patch is now heart shaped too!"

Sure enough, the little "V" of fur at Hiroki's groin sported a new romantic look also.

Nowaki was so overwhelmed by this new catman cuteness he just couldn't help himself. He leaned over and pinned Hiroki to the bed and locked lips with the hybrid. Then he began licking his way down Hiroki's lithe frame.

"Nowaki! No, you depraved seme sex-fiend!" Hiroki shouted. But by the time Nowaki had gotten down to the hybrid's second fur patch, the neko's protestations had turned into moans.

"What do you think you're going to do down there, Nowaki?" Hiroki panted, looking down at the younger male who was just about to engulf him.

The young intern smiled back with his sly puppy grin.

"Eat your heart out, Hiro-san."

* * *

><p>Once Hiroki was able to extricate himself from Nowaki and the two of them from their bed, the couple went about having actually quite a normal day.<p>

They bathed again (separately, though Nowaki had tried to convince Hiroki how much they'd cut down on their water bill if they always washed together).

While Hiroki took his shower, the young intern made breakfast. Then the pair ran some errands: Hiroki got his first cell phone and Nowaki got his ID tag updated.

While they had been out, Akihiko called Nowaki's phone to let the pair know that early that morning Miyagi had regained consciousness.

Now the couple was at the exclusive hospital that Akihiko had the old tom ensconced in, taking the elevator to the noir neko's room.

The two had been engaged in an intense discussion of seme/uke dynamics. Nowaki had taken Hiroki's hand in the lift and was delighted the hybrid hadn't pulled away.

"I'm just saying, Nowaki, it's a matter of seme-antics." The neko professor's forehead was furrowed with the conviction of his point. "When it comes to being mature and treating their ukes well, even though their energy is older, Akihiko and Miyagi could both do with some lessons from you."

Nowaki didn't say anything in response to Hiroki's assertion, though his cheeks did get the slightest bit pink at the neko's rare praise.

On the heels of this conversation, it was a surprising sight then, what greeted the couple on entering the room.

Akihiko was sitting in a chair next to Miyagi's bed. The author had pulled a small table up next to him and his laptop sat on this. He had a sucker in his mouth, though he didn't like sweets (there was no smoking allowed in the room). Akihiko's face wore an expression of concentration as he tried to type his newest NL novel with one hand. The other was busy holding Misaki.

The kit-teen was sitting on his owner lap, fast asleep. The poor chocolate neko had a small green cast on his broken wrist.

Akihiko picked the color out for the shell-shocked kitten when Misaki had first been admitted, thinking that it complimented his pet's eyes quite nicely.

The traumatized kitten's tail twitched every so often, acting as a barometer for the slender cat's dreams.

Fortunately for the older hybrid professor, the doctors had fixed Miyagi up with a really good nicotine patch (of course the morphine helped too). The noir neko was awake, drowsily watching a soccer game on the suite's big screen TV with the volume all but off.

Shinobu lay in bed next to him, curled up under Miyagi's good arm. The kitten was holding the tip of Miyagi's plumed tail under his chin and stroking it nervously. Miyagi had his hand on the caramel kitten's head and was sweetly rubbing Shinobu's ears.

Though Miyagi looked worn out and pale, the big cat smiled and immediately brightened as soon as he saw the Kusama-Kamijou pair come in.

"My dear Ka-mee-jou," Miyagi sang at the sight of his junior professor. "How nice you could stop by."

"Well, Nowaki and I thought we might come by and sit with you for a bit."

"Seeing that limp, Kamijou, I am not sure how much sitting you'll be able to do." The noir neko grinned.

Hiroki blushed, Akihiko smirked, and Nowaki was silent but the new young seme couldn't help but also look just a little bit proud.

"Your skin's looking awfully glowy and smooth too this afternoon," Akihiko added with a crooked smile.

"And you look worse than Miyagi does, you obnoxious ass," Hiroki shot back. Looking at the two semes grinning at their juvenile humor, Hiroki added, sounding exasperated, "honestly, it's hard to tell sometimes who the kittens are here."

Rather than look chagrined at the Kamijou cat's accusation the silver-seme and the noir neko just exchanged knowing looks.

At the sound of the new voices, Misaki woke up. His sleepy eyes widened and he smiled shyly at the sight of the visitors.

"Kamijou-san, Kusama-san, it's so nice to see you. Have you been here long?"

The teen neko rubbed his eyes and slid off Akihiko's lap to offer a wobbly bow before collapsing into the empty chair next to his owner.

"We just got here, Misaki-kun." Nowaki smiled at the Takahashi kitten. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better now, thank you, Kusama-san," Misaki answered dropping his head and blushing. His dark ears flattened with embarrassment at all the attention.

"The doctor said Misaki can go home anytime now," Akihiko added after he removed the sweet from his mouth. He gently ruffled his kitten's chocolate mop as he said this.

Both Hiroki and Nowaki noted the particularly tender look in the man's eye as he gazed at his young neko.

"Well, we're happy to stay so that you and Misaki can go home. You both look like you could use some rest," Nowaki offered.

"And take Shinobu with you," Miyagi interjected.

Akihiko nodded.

Shinobu, whose large gray eyes had been taking in all the interactions as he lay silently next to Miyagi, suddenly sat up straight.

"I'm not leaving!"

Hiroki noticed that the small Takatsuki's eyes were rimmed with red: the kitten had obviously been crying.

"Hush, Shinobu-chin," Miyagi said, wincing as the caramel neko's sudden movement jostled him.

Seeing this, Shinobu suddenly settled, though his tail continued to peevishly twist.

"I'm not leaving you, Miyagi." Shinobu started to sob. The kitten lay back down and buried his face in Miyagi's wrapped chest.

Miyagi looked at Hiroki and Nowaki and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry about this. Shinobu's had a hard day." Miyagi rubbed his good hand over Shinobu's shoulders in soothing circles.

"You missed all the excitement. About an hour ago Risako, my ex-wife and Shinobu's foster, came in and tried to take him away, so he's a little upset."

"Not nearly as upset as the ex-. Miyagi-san," Akihiko added drily.

"Why, what happened?" Hiroki asked.

Miyagi bent his shaggy head, not caring that there were others present, and kissed one of his caramel kitten's flat ears.

"I told her Shinobu was staying with me, so she could go to hell. Then she still tried to haul him off anyway and when she pulled out the leash, Shinobu bit her." Miyagi ears twitched with a bit of undisguised pleasure as he recalled his ex-wife's face when Shinobu's teeth had connected with her grabby hand.

"It was rather amusing," Akihiko added.

Hiroki shot the author an angry glare and itched his stitched ear.

"You shouldn't say things like that, Akihiko," he reprimanded. "That kitten needs to learn to curb his biting tendencies before he goes after someone who will want to have him put down."

Akihiko ignored the cinnamon neko's comments, but it wasn't as easy to look haughty with a lollipop in his hand as opposed to a cigarette.

"She said she's calling Health and Hybrid Services on me," Miyagi sighed. "For improper conduct with a kitten."

Nowaki looked thoughtful at that. "I know someone who works there, perhaps I can give him a call and see if he can help at all."

"Really?" Shinobu sniffled, raising his head.

"Well, I can't promise anything, but I'll try," the young intern said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't want to see either neko in trouble, or see the pair separated. In part because Nowaki was sure that Shinobu would keep Miyagi in line and off of his mate.

Seeing how distressed his kitten still was, Miyagi asked unexpectedly "Umm…would you fellows mind giving me a moment alone with Shinobu?"

Nowaki and Hiroki nodded and headed out into the hall.

Akihiko saved his work and then closed his laptop. "Come on, Misaki." The silver-seme smiled when Misaki stepped up and took his hand on his own accord.

* * *

><p>Once the room was quiet, Miyagi studied the small caramel kitten sitting next to him.<p>

Shinobu looked at Miyagi challengingly. "I'm not leaving you, Old Man, even if you already had your life-mate!" Shinobu was feeling insecure about the big cat's last confession. Miyagi had thought he was dying after all.

The big neko took Shinobu's face in his hand and surprised the little hybrid by dropping a soft kiss on the kitten's pink lips. When he withdrew his mouth Miyagi looked seriously at the small caramel cat.

"Shinobu-chin, did anyone tell you that my heart stopped when I was on the operating table?" This was true, the doctor mentioned this to Miyagi in a brief conversation earlier that morning while Shinobu was sleeping.

"No," the Takatsuki kitten's eyes grew wide and began to glisten.

"Well, it did, and I am sure what got it beating again, more than the doctors, was you…"

Miyagi kissed the stunned kitten's forehead. "And now… well, you see, since I died, my attachment to my old life mate has been broken.

"So… I'm starting a new life now and I want it to be with you…"

Shinobu didn't know what to say. "Really?" he whispered putting his smaller paw over Miyagi's.

"Oi, Brat." Miyagi's ears twitched with annoyance and he sighed. "Do you think that's the kind of thing I'd just randomly say?"

"Well, you are on morphine," Shinobu countered.

"Morphine or not my feelings won't change." Miyagi growled dropping his paw from the smaller male's face. "Look, to prove it, do you still have my Sensei's collar?"

Shinobu reached down hesitantly and pulled Miyagi's old collar from his pocket. He'd kept it with him ever since he'd taken it off the old tom.

Miyagi reached over to take it from Shinobu.

"Wait." The young hybrid drew it back. "What are you going to do with it?"

"I'm going to throw it away of course," Miyagi answered calmly.

"NO!" Shinobu cried holding the collar close to his heart.

"What is wrong with you, Kitten?" the noir neko asked. "I just said…"

This time Shinobu took the older neko's face in his hands.

"Miyagi, you can't just toss something away like that. Not after you held that love for so long… That's not right."

Old Tom's forehead furrowed in a very Kamijouesque manner as Miyagi considered what Shinobu was saying.

"You're right," he conceded. "Here, Shinobu-chin, give me the collar."

The caramel neko looked at him suspiciously. His twitching tail seconded his anxiety.

"I promise I'm not going to throw it away," Miyagi assured.

Shinobu handed it warily to the wounded neko professor.

"Now take that foster ID collar off and give it to me," Miyagi directed.

Shinobu's eyes widened. He did as Miyagi asked, though his fingers shook: he'd always been promised the most severe punishment if he ever tampered with his tags.

Miyagi took the HHS collar in his good hand and threw it across the room and it sunk cleanly into the trashcan.

"Two points, even with the morphine," the old tom muttered cheerily. Then he looked over at Shinobu and his face became serious again.

The kitten was shivering at the feel of his now naked neck.

"Come here, Kitten."

Shinobu leaned towards him his golden ears perked cautiously forward.

"I'm sorry, Shinobu-chin, you might have to help me." The big cat fumbled with the clasp as he tried to fasten his Sensei's collar around Shinobu's neck with his single good hand.

Shinobu reached up his hand to help and when their fingers touched a flush of pleasure filled his tear-stained cheeks.

"There." Miyagi's shaggy black head sank back down into his pillows. "Now all the love I've ever known is all in one place."

Shinobu's slender fingers traced the edge of the overlarge collar and his cheeks grew even pinker, but oddly he didn't cry. In fact, Shinobu had never felt so happy. He leaned over further and kissed the old Tom.

"Look, Shinobu, we'll get you proper tags once I get out, but in the meantime don't worry," The noir neko said after he'd kissed him lovingly back.

Shinobu could tell that Miyagi was now feeling completely exhausted.

"I'll figure out somehow to make this work. Now I want you to go with Usami-san, so you can get cleaned up and get some rest," Miyagi sighed wearily.

"But..." Shinobu started.

"Shinobu, please mind me just this once," Miyagi entreated. "That way if Risako sends someone to try and take you, you won't be so easily found. Besides, Kusama-san and Kamijou-san will be staying with me and also, I think it would be really good for Misaki to have you around for a bit."

Shinobu knew what had happened to Misaki. He had overheard the doctors talking with Usami-san. He shivered at the thought that if he hadn't slipped out of the van when he did, it could have very easily been him. So, considering this, though the kitten didn't look happy, he finally agreed.

"Come here, Shinobu-kit," Miyagi said smiling. The wee caramel kitten settled back under the raven neko's undamaged wing for one last good cuddle.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later Hiroki knocked tentatively at the door and Miyagi invited everyone back in.<p>

Shinobu left with Akihiko and Misaki not long after.

Misaki had taken the younger kitten's hand and pulled Shinobu out of the room. Misaki had never been allowed visitors of his own at the apartment before and the chocolate kit-teen was very excited.

As he was leaving Shinobu turned and looked at Miyagi forlornly. The huge hybrid waved him away with his good paw.

Once Shinobu was out of sight, however, Miyagi suddenly looked a bit forlorn himself. He only allowed himself a moment of this, however, as there were others still in the room with him.

Now that the trio had departed, Miyagi settled back in with a groan and closed his eyes.

Nowaki sat down in the empty chair vacated by Akihiko with a concerned look on his handsome face. Hiroki also appeared concerned, while he remained conspicuously standing.

After a few minutes, Miyagi opened his eyes again. He looked from Nowaki to Hiroki and his deep blue orbs had regained their trademark mischievous gleam.

"So, Kusama-san," the big neko said conversationally, nodding over towards the standing Hiroki. "Seme to seme, as a catman, I'm curious… how was he?"

Nowaki's eyes were shocked, his smile slipped before he could contain it. He was about to politely request that the drugged neko refrain from asking such inappropriate questions, but before he could, his view of the huge hybrid was suddenly obscured.

A furiously blushing Hiroki had grabbed a pillow off of one of the kitten's cots near the bed and hit Miyagi square in the face with it.

"Fuck, Kamijou!" the noir neko gasped. "Take it easy, I'm wounded."

"Keep up with that type of seme-antics, Miyagi," the humiliated cinnamon hybrid huffed, "And I'll show you the true meaning of the word _wounded_."

From beneath the pillow the morphined Miyagi a moment later rumbled. His muffled voice, however, still contained a trace of tease.

"Oi, Kamijou. How can you be so cruel?"

* * *

><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**Long chapter today to make up for missing yesterday. So there will be a catnip chapter for Midoritenchi90 and then a final single chapter follow up for each couple and Tsumori, the evil doctor will be revealed and** **an egoist omake to end. . (Hopefully everyone's questions will be answered.) So, keep reading and reviewing**

**Special thanks to Kirakrz and X ( ) for all your hard work helping me meet my review goal for the story. You two super reviewers rock! Anyone else who wants to can still join in. Midnight Reader, Liz, Ichigo Kousei, xMoymoy, Teabags, ASTROZOMBIE8,… and others, I've missed hearing from you lately. If you are reading, please drop a note.**

**Xxxpinksakuraxxx, thank you for the alert/favoriting.**

**Midnight at Dusk, Puppyfacetwo, FreshPrinceLover, IAMLEGEND, Nadiwa Yagari, Lillemmi, Madame Masquerade 64- Okay today's hug for reviewing comes from neko Miyagi.**

**000LuvYaoi000- there will be conclusions for all…**

**Avery- So let me guess, you think Hiroki is cuter and your Hiro-san thinks Nowaki is cuter… I'm curious. Personally I love them both, though they appeal to me in different ways. I don't think you are weird at all. That's why there is the whole genre of hurt/comfort. It applies to a lot of people. Some looking for outlets for nuturance (and one needs hurt or distress for this dynamic to be its most powerful) also… there is as much or more power sometimes in helping as hurting (especially if this is done by the same person, as it often is in yaoi). Please…help me brainstorm for a sequel if you'd like to see one, though I will be taking a break from this to finish my other fics, as I said. Delighted you like the new title.**

**Yaoifangirlforever- I wondered if you'd lost your phone again. Glad you're back with us. Good luck with your continued crush drama.**

**Rain621- thank you for joining back in, yes, I am relieved the lemon is over myself, though you can see at the start of the chapter I still had a bit of it in my system… I have been wanting to do that to Hiroki's fur patches ever since I gave them to the poor neko. I am so mean…**

**Midoritenchi- do you ever sleep, Querida? You are always so faithful with a quick reply after I post (kiss). Thank you for the reminder… one catnip scene coming up… but no lemon in this one… Maybe I'll do a catnip citrus later.**

**Egoistfangirl- YES, neko sex is hot (once you have cat you never go back… or so they say in the neko world)… So glad you picked up on that in chapter seventy one…That was the point, neko and human equity in the sexual arena. And though Nowaki was in the dominant position, he still took the lead from Hiroki, making sure his partner was okay which is what a good dom does. Yes, the child-like Nowaki is a favorite of mine. Thank you for quoting my notes back to me…I gues I was on a roll that afternoon. And I did have an okay time at the event then I came home and started writing. Hope you will consider reviewing a few other chapters as I love your reviews…but don't neglect your homework.**

**X ( )- your rainbow zebra here… Loved all the reviews and I can't thank you enough for taking the time to reread all the chapters. So glad you noticed a few of my distinct details (like the titles of Hiroki's various people). You are amazing and not a freak or a dork… Don't talk about my readers that way… Smart, sensitive, perhaps eccentric… but truly wonderful is how I see you.**

**Maggie Mae from Penny Lane- Hope you have gotten a few more reviews on your new fic. It was really fun in a way that shocked me. Yes, equity is a huge theme for me and one I love to illustrate through Nowaki. I also like seeing him be playful. And I think hickeys are sexy… but then I like marking what's mine… I may really be part neko.**

**Kat- thank you so much for the lovely review… post coital egoist is one of my favorite ways to write them for exactly the reasons you mention. Also… hope to be getting back to the dear Kami soon.**

**Kirakrz- thank you again for the wonderful spam of reviews and as I said before, for being one of the vocal first readers who has seen me and Neko-Hiro through to the end!**


	74. Nipped I: Romantica, Terrorist, Egoist

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Seventy-Four: Nipped I**

* * *

><p>After swinging past Miyagi's so that Shinobu could pick up his overnight bag with his clothes and get his pills, the two catboys and the human-rabbit finally arrived at the Usami flat.<p>

Akihiko opened the door to his apartment and stepped in followed by Misaki and Shinobu. The trio took off their shoes, hung up their things and entered the main room.

"Wow, this is a big place," Shinobu breathed. "It's almost as big as Dean Takatsuki's house."

Misaki felt a small flush of embarrassment fill his cheeks at the blond's exclamation. He'd always thought his owner's home was ridiculously big.

Akihiko set his laptop on the coffee table next to a note and a white pastry box Aikawa had left. She'd come by the apartment to drop off a manuscript and get Akihiko's laptop for him while they were at the hospital. Sitting down on the sofa next to Suzuki-san, Akihiko pulled out a cigarette, and began to read his editor's last diatribe.

"Usagi-san, you shouldn't smoke so much. You're going to make yourself sick," Misaki said nervously. The man had been like a chimney ever since they'd left Miyagi. "Since you were doing so well at the hospital without your cigarettes, I was kind of hoping you might quit."

Akihiko had been about to retort, "I'll quit when I'm dead," but given the circumstances, all they had been through, and the situation they had just left, and seeing the earnest concern in Misaki's huge, emerald eyes, it seemed a bit insensitive.

So instead, Akihiko put down his unlit smoke.

"Aikawa says she left that box of sweets for you, Misaki. They're apparently from some special neko bakery someone told her about."

The chocolate hybrid picked up the box and opened it.

"Wahhh, these are beautiful." Misaki inhaled deeply and his ears quivered. "And they smell really amazing." He turned to Shinobu who'd been looking at the contents of the box over his shoulder.

"Would you like to try some, Shinobu-san? I can make us some tea as well."

Shinobu sighed and his tail twitched in annoyance. "Misaki, how many times do I have to tell you, you can drop the _san_."

Normally Shinobu wasn't much of one for sweets, but for some reason these smelled particularly enticing and he wanted to be a good guest. "Yes please, that sounds great."

Misaki smiled beautifully at the younger neko and headed off to the kitchen taking the box with him.

After Misaki left, Shinobu's large grey eyes continued to take in the Usami apartment. His gaze came to rest on Suzuki-san for a minute. The huge amber teddybear was seated on the other side of the couch Akihiko was occupying.

"Isn't Misaki a bit old for stuffed toys?"

Lavender eyes met gray. Akihiko's brow twitched only slightly. "Suzuki-san is mine," he said simply, reaching once more for his unlit cigarette.

"Oh."

Shinobu looked a bit embarrassed. Whether the blush was for the boy or himself or Akihiko couldn't ascertain and this left him feeling the slightest bit uneasy.

"Look, would you like to clean up while Misaki makes the tea? I can show you where the bath is." Akihiko wanted to get the precocious Takatsuki occupied elsewhere, before Shinobu made any other unnerving observations.

The blond regarded Akihiko and his ears flickered with suspicion, but he finally agreed.

"Okay."

* * *

><p>After Akihiko had gotten Shinobu squared away he went down and stood in the kitchen doorway watching Misaki, as his Misa-kitty puttered around preparing the tea. Despite his broken wrist, Misaki was navigating the process quite well.<p>

The author sighed looking at his battered pet.

The hospital had been a bit of an ordeal as Misaki had sported so many mate marks it had been hard for the attending physicians to tell where his owner's affections ended and the trafficker's abuse started. The doctors had told Akihiko that, after his experience, the Takahashi kitten might be fragile for some time. After calling in a specialist (a veterinarian counselor), the doctors had admonished that, despite most neko's natural resilience, Takahashis were tender and Misaki remarkably so. Akihiko had been advised so he needed to treat his hybrid carefully.

Seeing the thin green cast on Misaki's wrist was poignant reminder of this.

Dark brown ears twitched back and forth and Misaki's tail swayed contentedly as he moved about. Misaki had his back to him at the moment, so Akihiko was surprised to hear him say:

"Usagi-san, you're not going to try and pounce me while Shinobu is here. Are you?"

Akihiko stepped in, came up behind, and wrapped his arms around his slender neko's frame.

"No, Misa-kitty, I'm not going to pounce you." Akihiko tipped Misaki's head back and kissed his pet on the forehead.

Misaki held his head there after his owner's warm lips left him. He looked into up into pale eyes. Misaki's cheeks filled with a rosy hue as he mumbled uncomfortably,"Um… not that I don't like being pounced… _Sometimes_."

"I know."

Akihiko offered one of his rare, true smiles. Misaki turned around facing Usagi-san and Akihiko took Misaki's face in his hands. He bent down and kissed his Takahashi sweetly on the lips.

"Ahem."

Misaki and Akihiko both jumped when Shinobu cleared his throat.

"Sorry to interrupt."

Both nekos blushed pink and looked away from each other, embarrassed. Akihiko just looked annoyed. Shinobu moved closer to the tea tray. The pastries really had the most remarkable smell.

"So, Misaki" Shinobu said casually, "after the tea, do you want to show me your room?"

Misaki turned pinker and looked at the floor. "I… um… I don't really have my own room, Shinobu-san." He looked at Shinobu apologetically.

"But I do have my own shelf in the laundry where I keep all my 'The Kan' action figures."

Shinobu stared at Misaki.

_How old is this kitten?_

The Takatsuki had overheard the doctors talking about Misaki regressing after his trauma, but maybe really that was just how the chocolate neko was normally.

"Where do you sleep then?"

Shinobu glanced at Akihiko and saw the author's brow all but imperceptibly twitch.

"Oh," Shinobu said for the second time during his short visit. He shifted uncomfortably. Then his brow wrinkled and his ears flattened slightly as he gave Akihiko a disapproving look.

"You know, I'm just a foster but I've had my own room at any house I've ever been dumped at… Even Miyagi's."

Misaki saw the tension between his owner and their guest and immediately jumped in.

"Well, I never really needed my own room. Shinobu-san… Honestly, I don't have that much stuff and I… ah… can be happy most anywhere."

"I put some blankets in Hiroki's old room." Akihiko interrupted the conversation before it became anymore unmanageable. "You kittens can camp out there tonight.

"Why don't you take your tea and head up there? I need to get some writing done."

"Wahh! Really, Usagi-san?" Misaki eyes glowed appreciatively.

"Mmmm." Akihiko took his tea from the tray.

"Come on, Shinobu-san," Misaki grabbed their tea and headed out the door, thrilled by the idea of a "camp out."

"Enough with the 'san,' Misaki," Shinobu sighed. He gave Akihiko one last reproving look before following.

Akihiko sipped his tea pensively. He felt a bit bad for Miyagi: he detected that the caramel kitten had more than a tad of seme energy in him.

_That Takatsuki might be the death of that old Tom yet._

* * *

><p>"So the Kamijou cat lived here too?" Shinobu studied all the boxes in Hiroki's old haunt.<p>

"Yes."

Misaki stepped over the stain in the carpet from when he'd last "served" tea in this room. He moved over towards Hiroki's old bed, set the tray on the floor, and joined it soon afterwards.

Shinobu sat down across from Misaki and accepted his tea and his treat.

"I remember reading that in his file now," Shinobu said around a mouthful of pastry. "Wow, this tastes really good!" He was suddenly so hungry he forgot his manners.

"So why did he run away?" The caramel kitten asked in between mouthfuls.

Misaki was munching on his sweet as well: it had the most amazing flavor. Almost as soon as he swallowed it, he began to feel most delightfully light.

"I think it was because that stupid, demon Kamijou cat got jealous and bit me." Misaki immediately covered his mouth with his hand. Why would he say that? He always tried to never speak ill of anyone.

"You know his ear?" Shinobu reached for another treat; he couldn't believe how good they were. "The bald one I mean."

"Yeah," Misaki took another one himself.

"I did that." Shinobo knew he should be ashamed, but suddenly it seemed kind of funny.

"You mean _you_ bit Kamijou-san?" Misaki was wide-eyed. He had to cover his mouth again because he started to giggle, knowing that there was nothing at all funny about a bite. He blushed furiously.

Shinobu couldn't help it. He started giggling too. "Where did he bite you, Misaki?"

Misaki pulled his arm out of his sleeve and lifted his shirt up so that Shinobu could see his scarred slender shoulder.

"That doesn't look so bad..."

"Well, it hurt like hell when he did it!" Misaki squeaked. "Besides, it's kind of hard to see now," Misaki hiccuped lightly. "Usagi-san has made so many marks over it."

Shinobu frowned for a moment.

"Oh, that's nothing." He waved his paw dismissively. "You think you have a lot of hickeys, look at this." With that the Takatsuki kitten pulled off his own shirt revealing a torso, multi-hued by all Miyagi's marks.

Misaki whistled and crawled around the tray next to Shinobu. "Uawahh! Shinobu-san, how did that happen?"

"Early heat," Shinobu said just a little bit proudly. "What about you?"

"Ahhh, no, just living with a horny rabbit." the chocolate hybrid snickered. "Takahashi's mature kind of late I'm told." Misaki was trying to sound serious and failing badly.

Shinobu considered what he'd observed. _Makes sense._

"What?" Misaki started to ask, seeing Shinobu's expression, however he quickly shifted gears. He pulled his own shirt the rest of the way off. "Oh, but do you have this?"

Shinobu's gray eyes widened as he took in Misaki's six nipples.

"Are those real?" Shinobu breathed. "I mean, do they all work?"

The caramel kitten reached his slender hand out and ran it down one of Misaki's sides. His eyes grew wider still as he watched all Misaki's pink buds respond to his touch. He looked up when he heard a soft moan escape from the Takahashi cat.

Misaki's eyes were huge and his pupils were dilated. The cute chocolate kitten was biting his bottom lip as he looked intently at Shinobu.

"Your eyes look funny, Misaki," Shinobu whisperd. Then he added, surprising himself, "But they're really kind of pretty too."

"Shinobu-san…" Misaki's chocolate whip tail was undulating in a rather frisky manner. "You have some frosting on your nose."

"I do?" Shinobu giggled self-consciously and tried to wipe it off. "Did I get it?"

"Nun uh," Misaki said breathily. "Here, let me help you." The lithe neko leaned over and his rough tongue licked the end of Shinobu's nose.

Shinobu almost went crossed-eyed watching the Takahashi do this. Then Misaki sat back licking his lips.

_No wonder your rabbit is horny..._ Shinobu watched the delicious pink tongue disappear behind full lips.

"Misaki, you have cream on your chin."

"I do not!" Misaki cutely scrunched his nose in disbelief.

"Oh, yes, you do!" Shinobu leaning closer, his ears perked alertly forward.

Misaki kept leaning back as the caramel catboy kept leaning in. The next thing they knew, Misaki was lying on his back on the floor and Takatsuki hovered over him. Shinobu leaned down and licked Misaki's chin. Misaki giggled and soon Shinobu started laughing too.

Shinobu drew back, snickering. "I'm practically married, what in the hell am I doing?"

"Oh, come on, Shinobu-san," Misaki said playfully, "What are a few licks between friends?"

"Well, when you put it that way." Shinobu leaned back in and licked the side of Misaki's neck.

"I feel kind of hot all of a sudden," Misaki panted.

"I think that's the point, Misaki." Shinobu laughed and licked the other hybrid's sharp chin again.

"No, I mean like temperature hot," Misaki gasped.

"Yeah, me too."

"I think I need to take my pants off," the Takahashi kitten whispered.

"Yeah, me too," Shinobu agreed again.

Shinobu scrambled up off of Misaki and the two kittens were both all but out of their trousers when Akihiko opened the door and looked in. His highly-honed seme senses had started mightily tingling and besides, after all that racket of giggling, the kittens had suddenly become too damn quiet.

"What the bloody hell is this?" He exclaimed when he found himself confronted with two near-naked nekos.

Shinobu looked at the Takahashi kitten and licked his lips. "You know, Misaki, your seme's kind of cute in an arrogant way."

The little blond snickered. "What about it, Rabbit, are you up for a 'menagerie a trois'? I'm topping."

Seeing the look on Akihiko's face when Shinobu said this, Misaki started giggling again, only this time uncontrollably.

* * *

><p>Hiroki and Nowaki had been with Miyagi for just under two hours when the call came in on Nowaki's phone.<p>

"What is this? The Seme Society?" Hiroki huffed when he found out it was Akihiko on the line. He was more than a little pissed that Akihiko hadn't called him instead. After all, he had given the man his new number and Akihiko was supposed to kind of be his friend.

Nowaki kept his voice low so that he wouldn't awaken the drowsing Miyagi. "I'm sure he just called me, Hiro-san, because he said he had kind of a medical emergency."

"What kind of medical emergency?" Hiroki asked when the two were on their way out of the hospital.

"He wouldn't say. He just said that he'd explain it when we got there."

* * *

><p>Hiroki and Nowaki arrived at Akihiko's to find the man chain-smoking but Misaki and Shinobu were nowhere in sight.<p>

"What's going on, Akihiko?" Hiroki asked. "And where are the kittens?"

Akihiko ignored Hiroki and looked seriously at Nowaki. "Follow me upstairs, Kusama-san, and I'll try and explain. I have Misaki locked in Hiroki's old room and Shinobu-kun is locked in the bathroom. "That little brat tried to lick me!"

The author's voice revealed he hadn't yet recovered from the Takatsuki's advances.

"At least he didn't bite you," Hiroki grumbled, itching his ear as he followed the two semes up the stairs.

"I don't know what happened, Kusama-san," Akihiko told Nowaki. "One minute they were fine and then the next they were nearly naked and acting super goofy, in a bizarrely erotic kind of way."

Nowaki frowned as he considered what could have possibly caused this behavior. "You know, Usami-san, neko biology really isn't my specialty. Why didn't you have a vet come and see them?"

"What, and have them find two half-naked kittens scampering around?" Akihiko snorted, "Certainly not. Especially after that blasted ex-Miyagi woman had the audacity to call the professor and I 'pet-o-philes' this afternoon."

Hiroki snorted himself. This finally got Akihiko's attention.

"Misaki is of legal age," the indignant author asserted.

"Physically," Hiroki's ears perked righteously. "But mentally…"

"Takahashis are known for their loyalty and affection, Hiroki, not their mental acuity," Akihiko snapped.

"Um… Usami-san," Nowaki interrupted before things got too out of hand. "There isn't any chance Misaki's in heat."

"I don't smell any heat here," Hiroki offered which only made the jealous silver-seme's nostrils flare.

"The vet said at his last visit that Misaki probably wouldn't go into heat until he was twenty," Akihiko informed the young intern.

"That makes sense…" Hiroki chuckled.

Before Akihiko could snarl something back, they had arrived at Hiroki's old room. The author softly opened the door.

"Misa-kitty," he called sweetly, ignoring Hiroki's eye roll.

What a shocking sight met the trio.

Misaki was now completely naked (except for his cast) and rolling rather ecstatically around on the floor. He flopped over on his back and looked up at the stunned intruders. His huge dilated green eyes beheld them wonderingly and his little pink tongue poked out of his mouth in a way that looked cutely naughty. His kitten cock stood at half mast.

If Nowaki and Hiroki hadn't been present, there was no way that Akihiko would have been able to refrain from fucking his pet in an instant. But as they were, he merely sighed and said, "Misa-kitty, where are your briefs?"

"Too hot, Usagi-san" Misaki panted, "and the carpet feels so good on my skin… but I bet you'd feel even better." The lithe neko rolled on to his knees and started crawling towards his owner. Misaki's whip tail curled over his back in the most provocative way.

"Ahhh, Misaki-kun…" Nowaki knelt down and called the kitten and the Takahashi turned towards him. Misaki ambled brightly over and slid in between the young intern's spread knees.

Though a bit jealous himself, Hiroki was getting great pleasure watching his former owner's spasming brow as Nowaki placed his large hand on Misaki's forehead.

"He's really hot." Seeing the glowing glares from the other two males in the rooms as Misaki began to rub up into his hand, Nowaki added quickly, "I mean, temperature-wise."

"You know, you're really cute, Nowaki-san!" Misaki giggled and then started nipping gently at Nowaki's shirt cuffs.

"And you have no idea what caused this, Usmai-san?" Nowaki blushed slightly as he tried to pull his hands away from Misaki's now grasping paws. "I mean, did you give them anything?"

"All they had was their tea, which I had too, and some pastries Aikawa left."

Hiroki looked over at the tea tray and saw the remains of a half-eaten sweet cakes. He went over and picked it up and gave the treat a quick sniff.

"What the fuck, Akihiko?" He quickly dropped the confection, the hybrid professor was incredulous. "You gave those two neko nip?"

"Misaki, how many of those did you eat?" Hiroki asked worriedly, pointing to the all but empty tea tray.

Misaki looked up at him and snickered. "I had six and a half and I think Shinobu-san maybe had five."

Hiroki's eyes widened. "Nowaki, we need to call doctor Ochi,"

"What's neko nip, Hiro-san?" Both Nowaki and Akihiko looked equally perplexed.

"It's the hybrid equivalent to 'ecstasy'," Hiroki explained. Then looking at Nowaki's sweet puzzled face he said, "Please don't ask me how I know that."

* * *

><p><strong>OLD AN:<br>**

**OOOOOOOOOOOO to be continued OOOOOOOOOOOO**


	75. Nipped II: Romantica, Egoist, Terrorist

**Warning: Naked Kit-teens**

* * *

><p><strong>Neko-Hiro<strong>

**Chapter Seventy-Five: Nipped II**

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later Hiroki found himself stuck on the couch, sitting between two small hopped-up uke hybrids, while in front of him the two semes were pacing, each one on their own phone.<p>

Nowaki was on his cell in consultation with the vet, Dr. Ochi, while Akihiko was giving his editor a verbal thumping.

"Yes," Nowaki was saying, "No... The box said they came from the _Catatonia Bakery: Feline Flavors that will Knock You Out_."

"Ah, we've had a lot of complaints about them," Ochi supplied, "and a lot of recent overdoses too. They market their products as _natural_, but that doesn't mean that they're safe. Do you know how many they've had or how much of the neko nip they might of consumed?"

"What the hell do you mean you were helping me?" A furious Akihiko raged in the background, though his voice still sounded relatively collected.

"You said you were low on inspiration, Sensei! So I thought I'd give Misaki a boost that might end up being worthy of a new NL novel," Aikawa shot back. "Besides, the stuff is perfectly natural."

Akihiko watched the two blatantly bare kittens rub up against a furiously flushing Hiroki. The poor cinnamon neko was beside himself trying to keep the two neko-nipped teens in the towels they had wrapped around their slim waists.

Shinobu too, had been naked when they'd opened the bathroom door. He'd been lying in the empty tub and rubbing Akihiko's shaving cream on his pecker. He'd also drawn a happy face on his chest with it.

_There is absolutely nothing natural about that,_ Akihiko thought.

"Kamijou-san, I'm so hot," Misaki whined. "Please, why do I have to wear this towel?"

Hiroki was currently holding Misaki's towel closed with one hand and Shinobu's with the other, while simultaneously trying to keep the two small nip-heated nekos apart.

The chocolate kitten leaned over, embraced Hiroki's arm, and nuzzled his way up to Hiroki's human ear.

"Do you think I'll still look as much as like you when I get older, Kamijou-san?" Misaki sniggered. "I mean, if you _fucked_ me right now, wouldn't you feel like you were doing a younger version of yourself?"

"Misaki!" Akihiko uncharacteristically exclaimed as he snapped his phone shut on Aikawa. He went over, grabbed the small hybrid by the towel and pulled him off of Hiroki.

Hiroki looked up at Akihiko with a startled expression and damn if the author wasn't blushing.

"Oh, come on, Funny Bunny," Misaki hiccupped. He wrapped slender arms around his seme's neck and licked Akihiko's ear. "Like you didn't ask me to wear glasses and pretend to be grading papers before you pounced me the other night."

"Misaki is obviously delirious," Akihiko declared flatly, looking straight at Hiroki. At the same time the he clapped one of his large hands over his Misa-kitty's mouth.

"Obviously," Hiroki replied with as much dignity as he could muster.

As Akihiko carried Misaki across the room, Hiroki turned to Shinobu. "Misaki-kun and I don't look anything alike. Right?" he whispered nervously.

"Of course not…" Shinobu's face was serious. Hiroki was about to breathe a sigh of relief when the caramel kitten suddenly snorted.

"Yeah, right!" Shinobu gave Hiroki a big wink before collapsing into fit of laughter.

Nowaki had just gotten off of the phone with the vet and though he didn't know its cause, he could see that his dear neko professor was very upset. So he came over and picked Shinobu up around the waist, making sure to grab him in such a manner that the towel wouldn't get dislodged.

"Come on, Shinobu-kun, we need to get you fixed up."

"Gahhh!" Shinobu cried and began to furiously wiggle, "No cold baths! No cold baths!" The caramel kitten managed to squirm out of both the young intern's grip and his towel and darted naked behind the couch.

Nowaki rubbed his forehead and sighed. _What has Miyagi been doing to that poor kitten?_

Akihiko came back with Misaki in his arms. He had used his tie to gag the garrulous neko. "What did the vet say?"

Nowaki looked at the drugged-out Misaki who seemed to be actually quite happy teething the tie. Still, such restraint offended his sensibilities.

"Usami-san, is that really necessary?"

The author looked down Misaki and then glanced between Nowaki and Hiroki and replied with no uncertain conviction, "Absolutely."

"Well," Nowaki offered. "Dr. Ochi said that unlike human 'ecstasy,' they need to be heated up to get the nip out of their system rather than cooled down. He said the best thing to do would be to exercise them until they collapse."

Akihiko cocked an eyebrow at Nowaki.

"I am quite sure that Dr. Ochi did not mean that kind of exercise, Usami-san." Nowaki frowned disapprovingly.

"I suppose not," Akihiko harumphed and tried not to look too disappointed.

"You don't have any string or paper bags, or any of those little balls with the jingle bells in them?" Nowaki asked. "Dr. Ochi said that when a neko is exposed to the nip that their play-urge becomes quite primal."

Even as he spoke, Nowaki was watching Shinobu carefully. The caramel kitten's huge gray eyes were visible over the back of the couch. He was stalking Hiroki's nervously twitching tail and the young intern didn't want his lover to suffer any more Takatsuki teeth marks.

Akihiko frowned. "No, I don't have those things. Well, I do have paper bags, but... looking at the situation, I think this calls for something slightly stronger than that."

Then his face lit up. "Wait a minute, I've got it. Here hold this."

And with that Akihiko unceremoniously transferred Misaki into Nowaki's arms.

The man disappeared for a moment upstairs but then quickly came back and proudly held up a small cylinder.

"What's that, Usami-san?"

"A laser pointer," Akihiko replied smiling rather smugly.

He hadn't had to use it since that one day in the bear room before he'd gotten Misaki that GPS collar, now he traded it with Nowaki for Misaki.

Akihiko took his tie out of the chocolate kitten's mouth. Misaki had all but chewed through it.

"Misa-kitty, that was a fifteen thousand yen tie," he sighed as he set the neko down. He sent Misaki off with a gentle swat to his backside. Misaki scampered giggling behind the sofa to join Shinobu.

Soon there was another pair of huge bright eyes glinting over the back of the couch, following every twitch of Hiroki's lithe tail. Hiroki didn't notice, however, he was too busy looking at the laser pointer with horror.

"Ummm, Nowaki," Hiroki got up from the couch. His ears were twitching nervously. "I think you two can handle this, so perhaps I'd better be heading off home. I can wait for you there."

Nowaki handed the pointer over to Akihiko and walked over his partner. He ruffled Hiroki's head. "Why, Hiro-san? What's wrong?"

Hiroki blushied deeply. "Nowaki, laser pointers and I don't get along well." His eyes darted over to where Akihiko had turned it on and that enticing red dot magically appeared on the floor.

Hiroki felt his tail give a spastic switch of excitement; his ears started to quiver. "Or maybe, it's like we get along too well together… they're a bit of…uh… " Hiroki forced his eyes back to Nowaki. "They're a bit of a weakness of mine."

The professorial hybrid could feel the magnetic pull of the pointer even as he was speaking.

"You know they've outlawed those things at the University, to make neko friendly classrooms. But when I started college they hadn't past that legislation yet and…"

Hiroki's large eyes darted and a tremor went through his slender frame as Akihiko zig-zagged the crimson spot on the floor and two naked, squeaking kittens suddenly tumbled out from behind the couch after it.

Nowaki was fascinated watching Hiroki's overlarge eyes grow even bigger as Akihiko darted the dot around the room.

Akihiko watched, meanwhile, with more than a slightly lusty smirk as the sleek naked kit-teens bounded after it. He stopped to light a cigarette, but almost immediately had to resume his laser treatment, as once the motion ceased, the two kittens promptly started to wrestle.

"Shinobu-kun, be careful of Misaki's wrist," Akihiko cautioned. This whole ordeal struck him as somehow familiarly familial.

_No wonder I'm so fucked up._

In the meantime, Nowaki had caught his mate's chin in his hand. "Hiro-san, you were saying,"

Though Hiroki couldn't move his head while Nowaki gently gripped it, his eyes flashed furiously, frantic to see that maddening dot of light. "I…uh… I was the only neko in my advanced intro to literature class, and … umm… the first day the professor used a pointer…

"I couldn't stay in my seat and made a big fool of myself…" Hiroki admitted, turning redder.

He wasn't about to tell Nowaki that they were also used sometimes as light effects in some of the more nefarious gay neko nightclubs.

"Hiro-san, I'd like for us to go home together." Nowaki didn't really want to stay with Usami alone. "Why don't you go up to your old room and wait for me there? I'm sure there's a book or two packed away you haven't read yet."

Hiroki pondered this and seemed to visibly relax. "Okay, Nowaki," he agreed. He started up the stairs, trying to shield his eyes with his hand.

Akihiko saw this and flashed the light up the last few steps in front of him. Hiroki could no longer restrain himself. He pounced at it and scrambled to grab the light though his rational mind knew it was impossible. Suddenly the light flashed and disappeared. Nowaki had plucked it from Akihiko's fingers with a very dark look.

"Akihiko, you ass!" Hiroki shouted before he slammed the door to his old room.

Akihiko sighed: it felt just like old times.

He looked over at very irritated Nowaki. "What?" He said innocently.

"Don't tease my Hiro-san, Usami-san."

"It was cute though. Right?" Akihiko wiggled his eyebrows.

"Yes, very," Nowaki sighed, cracking half a smile. "You wouldn't happen to have a spare pointer, would you?"

"I think that I can arrange something," Akihiko smirked. Then his eyes glanced over at the two kit-teens who were now pair-grooming each other, despite their heaving sides. Watching those pert little pink mouths work was making him suddenly hard.

"Look, Kusama," Akihiko said. "You better get that pointer going again before that little semi-seme tops my Misaki.

"I'm going into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine. Do you want one? Then in between turns with the laser you can sit back and pretend you're in Greece.* That's what I plan to do, anyway."

As he headed out of the main room, Akihiko called back over his shoulder. "You know, there are still quite a few of those sweets left. Shall I send you home with half?"

Nowaki frowned. "No, Usami-san, that wouldn't be right to do to Hiro-san."

"A third then?" came the author's drifting voice .

Watching Misaki's lean limber limbs gleefully leap about after the laser, Nowaki suddenly realized that the Takahashi kitten, albeit not counting the six nipples, actually reminded him quite a bit of his mate.

Thinking about his sweet Hiro-san participating in such playful postures, Nowaki swallowed hard and called back.

"A third would be perfect."

* * *

><p>Akihiko looked about the chaos of the apartment that had been caused by the small frolicking felines.<p>

_Oh, well, Misaki can clean it tomorrow._

He had sent Shinobu off with Nowaki and Hiroki; not caring that the neko professor claimed it was nearing time for his heat.

_Such a convenient excuse._

Akihiko sighed. Hiroki's heat or not, he was in no way going to let that little honey-top spend anymore time alone with his kitten.

The author brought a big fuzzy blanket fresh from the dryer. Miyagi had told him how much Shinobu liked dryer-warmed cuddlies when they were at the hospital. He stood over Misaki who lying exhausted on the couch, still slightly panting, .

"Come on, Mi-chan," he encouraged lifting the limp hybrid and wrapping him in the blanket. "I don't want you to get chilled." Akihiko pulled his fatigued Felis* into his lap and softly stroked Misaki's sweaty forehead.

Misaki uncharacteristically snuggled into his arms. One of his hands reached out and captured his rabbit's large paw.

"Am… Am I in t-trouble, Usagi-san?" Misaki asked nervously.

"For what, Misa-kitty?"

"For saying that stuff about me and Kamijou-san." Misaki's voice had become remarkably soft.

Akihiko caught his pet's chin and their eyes met. "No, Misaki, I am glad you said it. And… I promise you from here on out, NO more substitutions. It's just going to be you and me, Misaki, from now on."

"Really?" the hope in Misaki's voice was heartbreaking.

"Really," Akihiko brushed Misaki's melted chocolate brow with his lips, sealing his promise. He meant this with all sincerity. Then he moved down to kiss Misaki's sweet lips.

Misaki actually, willingly, kissed him back.

As soon as the tired Takahashi was asleep in his lap, Akihiko awkwardly reached for his computer and opened his laptop.

He'd just had the most brilliant idea for a new NL novel.

* * *

><p>Hiroki and Nowaki were riding the train home from Akihiko's. It was faster than walking and, as Nowaki was carrying a sleeping Shinobu, it was easier as well. Nowaki had insisted that they all go into the <em>hybrid<em> car rather than _human_ so that his mate and the small Takahashi could sit and would not have to spend the ride standing.

Hiroki was sitting on one side of Nowaki. Shinobu was leaning against Nowaki on his other side, asleep.

"How long do you think we'll have to keep him?" Hiroki's brow furrowed as he looked at the Takatsuki.

"I don't know, Hiro-san. Until Miyagi get things resolved with Shinobu's fosters, I suspect." Nowaki looked down tenderly on the caramel catboy's sleeping face.

"But if if his ex-wife files a complaint then we'll be harboring a fugitive."

"I suppose. But, Hiro-san, you don't really want him going to yet another foster home do you?" Nowaki had a sober expression on his face.

"No…" Hiroki shifted uncomfortably. "Will you call your friend at Health and Hybrid Services?"

"Yes, Hiro-san as soon as they open tomorrow. Usami-san said he would help too."

Nowaki looked at Hiroki curiously: his neko husband had taken his hand and was gently stroking the back of it, even though the car was rather full and quite a few hybrids were shooting curious glances at the trio.

Glancing at Nowaki again, Hiroki asked, "Nowaki, do you think our life will ever be peaceful?"

"Maybe not. Hiro-san… But I won't care as long as I get to spend it with you." Nowaki smiled as he looked into his partner's gaze.

"You're a sap."

"I know, Hiro-san, a great big one." Nowaki grinned wider.

A sound that almost resembled a giggle escaped the neko professor.

Nowaki looked at Hiroki with wide eyes. "Hiro-san! You didn't..."

"What? It was only half a sweet-cake!" Hiroki blustered. "Besides, I was hungry and we hadn't had dinner… and there was no way I was going down stairs until you were done using that blasted laser… and remember, neko nip used to be another one of my weaknesses when I was younger,"

Hiroki's large eyes caught Nowaki's. "With all our pride, it's hard for a Kamijou to be playful you know." His nose crinkled as he offered the Nowaki an awkward smile.

"Ummm, Hiro-san, I have a little confession of my own to make," Nowaki offered sheepishly.

"Oh?"

The young intern pulled out the bag of Catatonic Confections that Usami-san had given him.

"Nowaki!" Hirokitried to sound fierce but was suddenly rocked by a fit of tittering.

Then Nowaki pulled out the laser pointer, he turned it on and directed the dot over his lap.

"I hope that Takatsuki is a sound sleeper," Nowaki beamed.

"You bastard!" Hiroki laughed.

Nowaki, smiled and leaned over and kissed his partner gently, "Even good guys have to be bad once in a while, Hiro-san."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter End Notes:<strong>

*** Greece- for western civilization, a hotbed of historical homosexuality and early sporting events (including wrestling) were all done in the nude.**

***Felis- part of proper latin name for cat.**

* * *

><p><strong>Old AN: Okay, I have some author's notes and shout outs for past chapters to catch up on, but I did want to take a moment here and tell all of my reviewers and especially you my marathon reviewers: Kirakrz, X, Egoistfangirl, Alexia Featherchild...<strong>

**THANK YOU ALL FOR GETTING NEKO - HIRO TO 1000 + REVIEWS *Bows to all of you amazing readers!***

**MidoriTenchi90. Here is the second half of the neko nip scene. I felt like I was on it myself a bit as I wrote it. Perhaps I am getting giddy getting so close to the end. Anyway, thank you so much for the suggestion. It was a super fun chapter to write.**

**Kirkakrz, Nadiwa Yagari. IAMLEGEND,The Black Flamingo101, Madame Masquerade64, Puppyfacetwo, Yaoifangirl4ever, Thank you so much for your faithful reviews.**

**Vauxite- delighted to have you back and sorry I stopped it right when it was getting good.**

**Avery, X, Egoistfangirl, Maggie Mae from Penny Lane- haven't seen you yet on that last chapter, but hope to. (and all of you…amazing feed back on Path… I have so many new thoughts on that story now thanks to you)**

**Midnight Reader -you still with us? How about you LoserSquad?xMoymoy (thanks for the "Baby" reviews by the way) Chiharu Moka - there is still more romantica to come, but things are getting better for the couple, right? Ichigo Kousei where have you gone too…?**


	76. Court: Terrorist Epilogue Part I

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Seventy-Six: Court**

**Terrorist Epilogue Part I**

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><p>It had been three weeks since the "great neko-napping" escapade. Miyagi was doing quite well, all things considered, though the arm of his damaged shoulder was still in a sling.<p>

He had been out of the hospital and out on bail for two weeks now. Risako had pressed charges against him not long after she left the hospital. She'd made sure he was picked up by the law enforcement authorities for HHS as soon as he'd been deemed fit to be moved by the doctors.

While Miyagi refused to disclose the Takatsuki kitten's whereabouts, despite his incarceration, Risako had managed to locate Shinobu and had him seized from Hiroki and Nowaki a week after they'd taken him in, following the "nip" incident at Akihiko's.

The Kamijou/Kusama couple had wanted to try and keep Shinobu with them but the former Miyagi-san threatened them with kitten-napping charges and accusations of being "pet-o-philes" too.

Now, today was the date of Miyagi's hearing regarding his conduct with the under-aged kitten.

The old tom was nervously pacing the halls of the Tokyo Municipal Courthouse. His plumed tail swished with agitation while waiting for his case to be called.

Usually it would have taken much longer for a neko welfare case like this to be processed, but Akihiko and Nowaki had both called on their connections and so the proceedings had been greatly expedited.

Hiroki and Nowaki and Akihiko and Misaki, as well as Miyagi's lawyer, Tanaka Machi, were waiting in the hall with him.

"There's no need to be nervous," Miyagi's lawyer assured him.

Akihiko had secured Tanaka's services for Miyagi. He'd become rather fond of the old Tom, though he was not particularly fond of the big male's seme wannabe mate. Tanka was a top of the line litigator. She was also an emancipated neko herself, and specialized in hybrid versus human cases.

"I'm not nervous!" Miyagi grumbled as his ears drew back. "I am just anxious to see Shinobu again."

Shinobu hadn't wanted to cause any more problems for Hiroki or Nowaki, so he had allowed Risako to take him once he found out what his former foster had planned.

Miyagi had been beside himself when he'd discovered what had happened.

He had been denied any access to Shinobu since then, so he had not seen his tiny mate for two weeks. The Takatsuki's fluids had gotten into the huge hybrid's system and Miyagi had quickly found out that nicotine had nothing on his Shinobu withdrawal.

Miyagi started to growl deep in his throat when he saw Risako and her lawyer, accompanied by a very sober looking Dean Takatsuki, approaching them in the hall. His already expansive tail fluffed out to more than twice its normal size.

"Easy there, Big Fella," Akihiko cautioned. He'd stood up from where he'd been sitting on a hallway bench with Misaki and put a hand on Miyagi's arm.

The noir neko held his temper as Risako and the Dean drew nearer. That was until he spotted Shinobu. Miyagi was horrified when he saw his kitten's condition.

Without his life-mate the little Takatsuki hybrid had quickly begun to fail. The poor slender teen neko had lost a significant amount of weight. Shinobu's golden hair had grown quite shaggy, his usually silky ears were un-groomed . His complexion was very pale, except for the dark circles around his glazed gray eyes.

Shinobu had been particularly unruly during his separation and so Risako had the wee kit on a leash. Shinobu had not given up his biting tendencies. In fact, they had gotten markedly worse and Risako had the bandaged fingers to prove it. For this reason he had been fitted with a muzzle as well. Because of this, the tiny Takatsuki looked, at the moment, like a minature Hannibal Lecter.

Shinobu had been walking with his eyes downcast on the ground, ears flat and tail completely lifeless, until he caught Miyagi's scent. Then his head popped up. Behind the muzzle his dull gray eyes suddenly sparked.

"Oi, Shinobu-chin," Miyagi choked and stretched out his good arm to his kitten.

Shinobu managed to twist the leash out of his foster owner's hand and scampered like a golden flash into Miyagi's outstretched arm.

"What in the hell have they done to you?" Miyagi breathed sweeping the little neko up. Shinobu wrapped his skinny arms around Miyagi's neck and buried his face in the older male's good shoulder. His slender frame was wracked with hiccupping sobs.

Risako's lawyer called a couple of bailiffs to come and pry Shinobu off. Miyagi was about to start fighting them, even if he only had one good arm, but just then the judge walked up.

Judge Yamada's eyebrows raised, watching the scene taking place outside his chamber. Miyagi's arm dropped reluctantly and he relinquished the sobbing kitten to the guards.

When the leash was returned to her, Risako gave Shinobu's lead a hard tug as they entered the room; she was so irritated with the caramel cat's behavior.

"Risako, there's no need for that, Shinobu only wanted to greet me!" Miyagi barked as he followed behind his ex-wife, glaring daggers. It was only the presence of the bailiffs that kept him from wringing her neck.

"Shut up, Yoh. You big pervert," Risako hissed.

"I'll have you know that I've filed to formally adopt Shinobu-chan, so soon he'll be mine anyway." The woman pulled out a chair at the large table in the Judge's chambers and sat down.

Shinobu's eyes grew huge when he heard this. His gray orbs filled with tears as he looked at his mate who was currently being ushered to the other side of the table by the Tanaka lawyer hybrid.

Out in the hall the two human/neko couples watched as the door closed on their friends. They would have to wait to find out what was going to happen to Miyagi and Shinobu as the proceedings were closed. This was the standard when the charges in question involved a juvenile.

Nowaki and Hiroki exchanged worried glances.

Nowaki took Hiroki's hand and the neko professor, rather than object, simply squeezed it and held on.

Misaki was so upset by Shinobu's plight he was now weeping himself. Akihiko had his long arm wrapped around his kitten. Misaki pressed his face into the author's side, trying to muffle his quiet sobs.

* * *

><p>Inside the judge's chamber, Risako's lawyer made his case. He stated that the Dean had unknowingly trusted his daughter's desired adoptee to a pervert who had sexually assaulted the Takatsuki and then tried to brainwash Shinobu into some sort of sex slave.<p>

He asserted that Miyagi should be, in the least, forcibly neutered and sent to the pound for the rest of his three and a half lives (having clearly used one of his lives up when he was shot).

Tanaka countered that her client was innocent. It was the Dean's fault for neglecting to give the kitten his pills. Miyagi was only a neko after all and how was he supposed to resist the kitten's heat?

Besides, Miyagi's actions since the alleged illicit congregation with the teen Takatsuki had spoken of a very high concern for the catboy's well-being.

Judge Yamada looked between Risako and Miyagi.

"I think I'd like to have a few words with the Takatsuki kitten in private." The judge motioned to one of the bailiffs who took the leash from Risako and led Shinobu into another room.

Once they were in his private office, Judge Yamada regarded the forlorn feline.

"Bailiff, would you please remove the Takatsuki's muzzle?"

Yamada regarded Shinobu seriously. "That is as long as you promise not to bite."

Shinobu looked at the Judge and slowly nodded.

As the muzzle came off, the Judge noticed the deep red ridge on the bridge of the Takatsuki's nose. Yamada sat down in a chair next to his desk. He sighed and then motioned for Shinobu to sit down in another chair opposite him.

Shinobu wordlessly complied.

"It looks like you have been wearing that muzzle for a bit," Yamada observed trying to keep his voice casual.

"Every day for a week," Shinobu replied softly, his voice gravelly from non-use. "I even had to wear it to school, which was really embarrassing."

"But you did bite your foster owner?" the judge asked gently.

Shinobu looked down blushing. "Yes, Judge-sama," he whispered. Then, however, the kitten looked up at the Judge with a rather fearsome scowl. "But I love Miyagi and Takatsuki-san was saying awful things about him."

"What kind of things?" Yamada asked curiously.

"Takatsuki-san said Miyagi was a 'pet-o-phile' and an unfeeling bastard!" Shinobu scowled recalling Risako's tone.

"I see."

Judge Yamada looked very serious, "Shinobu-kun, did Miyagi-san do anything… uh… physical or sexual to you before you had your heat?"

Shinobu's cheeks glowed brighter.

"He spanked me," the kitten confessed.

When the Judge didn't say anything else right away, Shinobu added, "Please, Judge-sama, it was my fault. I deserved it. I bit Kamijou-san and almost got him fired.

"Besides even when Miyagi spanked me and I ended up getting uh…broken..." Shinobu gestured to his lap when the judge looked confused. "Even then Miyagi didn't do anything to me; he just stuck me in a cold bath."

"Shinobu-kun, this biting habit of yours concern me," Judge Yamada said.

Shinobu hung his head. His matted ears flattened amongst his overgrown blond locks. "I know… I'm really not a very good kitten."

"Oh?" The judge said noncommittally.

"Yes, that's why you should punish me and not Miyagi," Shinobu insisted looking up at Yamada with beseeching eyes.

"I loved him first, you know, Judge-sama." Shinobu hung his shaggy caramel head again and looked down at his hands, his limp tail drifted up into them. Shinobu stroked it nervously.

"He really wasn't even that keen on me initially. Though I still think that even if Takatsuki-san hadn't forgotten to give me my pills we would still have exchanged collars eventually."

Shinobu looked up as he said this and the Judge could see the conviction in the small hybrid's eyes.

"You have exchanged collars?" Yamada's eyebrows raised. "Willingly?"

Shinobu's eyes filled with tears, "Yes. I gave Miyagi his new collar first." He fingered the heavy gold collar leather studded with rhinestones that Risako had forced him to wear. While the gold went well with his hair, Shinobu considered his foster owner's choice to be incredibly garish. Risako had become incensed when she saw Miyagi's sensei's collar on him. The whole time she'd been married to the big male, Miyagi had never taken it off, not even for their wedding. She had flown at the small cat immediately to remove it and quite the scuffle had ensued.

Shinobu's fuzzy ears drooped further, and he said softly, "this isn't the collar that Miyagi gave me. Takatsuki-san put this on me when she took his away." The kitten's voice dropped even lower. "That was the other reason I bit her, Judge-sama."

"And why do you think you would be together with Miyagi-san if things hadn't gone as they did?" Yamada asked. He could not keep his voice from sounding tender.

"Fate," was Shinobu's whispered reply.

The Judge leaned back in his chair. "Okay, Shinobu-kun. Why don't you tell me the whole story in your own words?"

Shinobu looked up at Yamada and his gray eyes sparked with hope.

"Well, the first time I saw him I was actually even younger…" the Takatsuki began hesitantly, starting his tale.

* * *

><p>Out in the other room as the minutes droned on, the air became increasingly tense. The Dean was feeling terribly about all of this and offered Miyagi an apologetic grin, "I truly am sorry about all of this unpleasantness, Miyagi-kun."<p>

"Father, don't talk to him!" Risako snapped.

Despite his lawyer's admonition to remain silent, Miyagi couldn't help himself. "Why are you even talking about adopting Shinobu, Risako? It's obvious you don't get along. Do you even really like Shinobu at all or is this just another way to get back at me for how you feel like I failed you when we were married?"

Risako just glared him.

Finally the door to Judge Yamada's private office opened and Yamada stepped out with Shinobu. The Judge had a paternal hand resting on the kitten's shoulder.

Miyagi noticed with some relief that while Shinobu's eyes were visibly red and it was obvious that the kitten had been crying quite hard, Shinobu's ears were now considerably perkier and his lithe caramel tail was even twitching a bit.

That was at least until the catboy left the Judge's side and went and sat down next to Risako again.

Miyagi grimaced as his kitten visibly deflated.

The old tom did feel a flash of wicked pleasure though, when he saw Risako suddenly and uncomfortably move her bandaged hands to a more protected location under the table when the unmuzzled kitten settled in next to her.

Yamada sat down himself and his eyes traveled between the two sides of the table.

"I have spoken with the Takatsuki." Yamada's voice grave. "Now I would like to ask both parties a few more questions."

Yamada turned and looked hard a Miyagi.

"Miyagi-san, you do not deny that you had sexual congress with the Takatsuki during his first heat?"

"No, Judge Yamada I do not deny it," Miyagi answered clearly.

"And I understand that the two of you have exchanged collars?"

While nekos, since they were legally considered property, could not marry, an exchange of collars was understood as symbolic of matrimony. Miyagi, since he was emancipated, could marry, however, Shinobu being un-emancipated, as well as underage, could not. Even if this was not that case, however, gay hybrid marriage, like gay human marriage, sadly was not legal in Japan.

"Yes," the noir neko answered, wondering where in the hell his Sensei's collar had gone.

"And you declare that you love Takatsuki Shinobu?" The Judge stared at the huge hybrid as he asked this.

Miyagi looked away from the Judge and stared intently in to the dark gray eyes of his little mate. "I do. He is the one I have chosen to love," he said without hesitation.

"One last question," Yamada said, "do you believe that corporal punishment is the best response to solving domestic disputes?"

Miyagi blushed immediately realizing that Shinobu must have mentioned the spanking to Yamada. He glanced across the table and saw that his small mate was blushing even more furiously than he was.

"No, your honor," Miyagi said truthfully.

Risako didn't understand the gist of the Judge's question but was pleased both by its reprimanding tone and by the uncomfortable response it elicited from the neko sitting across from her.

This self-satisfied smirk, however, faded quickly when Yamada turned his attention to her and the Dean.

"Takatsuki-san, please tell me again how long you have had the Takatsuki neko."

"Um… about six months," Risako replied.

"And of that time, Dean Takatsuki, how long has the kitten stayed with you?" Yamada queried.

The Dean looked thoughtful. "Off and on about three and a half months, I suppose, your honor."

"And the longest he has stayed with you at one time?"

"Well, most recently, about two months."

"I see." Yamada made some notations on a tablet that sat on the table in front of him.

"And before you sent the kitten off with Miyagi-san, did you in fact fail to give the Takatsuki his pills for a period of days, knowing what the purpose of the medication was?" Yamada asked seriously.

The Dean looked shamed and sheepish simultaneously. "I did," he admitted.

"And did you tell Miyagi-san what the medication was for when you left the Takatsuki with him?"

"I did," the Dean said, but then added truthfully, "but I didn't tell him immediately, no."

"And do you suppose that you would have asked Miyagi-san to look after the Takatsuki kitten if the professor had not been a neko? Despite knowing the fact that he had been without his suppressing medication." Judge Yamada regarded the Dean intently.

Dean Takatsuki seemed confused by the question, "Well, I don't know. It just seemed as though Shinobu-chan took to him and he does not attach to people or uh… anyone easily."

Yamada shifted his intense gaze to Risako. "Am I to understand the kitten has been wearing that muzzle for a week, even to school?"

"What!" Miyagi shouted from across the table and began to rise. He stopped as the bailiffs moved forward.

The woman paled a bit at the strong show of emotion from her ex-husband.

"Well, yes, I thought it was necessary," Risako said, "But I did make sure that one of his teachers would take it off every day at noon so Shinobu could eat lunch."

"And despite the biting, you still wish to adopt him when he comes of age and want to keep him until then?" Judge Yamada asked.

A hiccupping sob escaped Shinobu as he thought about this possibility.

Risako offered the judge a saccharine smile. "Well, you see, your honor, I think of Shinobu almost like a little brother." She raised one of her bandaged hands to ruffle the kitten's unkempt mop, and then dropped her hand again, quickly thinking the better of it.

"We get along like siblings too, even if there is the occasionally conflict."

The Dean shot his daughter a disapproving look at this but said nothing.

"I am going to retire to my chambers and review the arguments," Judge Yamada declared. "We will take a recess until I come back with my findings."

* * *

><p>When the door opened, Miyagi emerged looking tired and defeated. He and Akihiko went outside for a smoke. The two semes had formed a strange friendship since the events of the catnapping.<p>

Nowaki stayed with the other nekos.

Akihiko had some discomfort about leaving his sweet coco uke with another seme, but Nowaki was looking so googlely-eyed at Hiroki, the possessive author decided it would be okay. Besides the he really needed a nicotine fix.

Risako and her party had seated themselves further down the hall.

"I have to make some business calls," she said suddenly, and stood, handing Shinobu's leash to her father.

Once Risako had walked off down the hall, Misaki got up and moved over hesitantly approaching the Dean.

"Excuse me, Takatsuki-sama," Misaki said shyly. "Shinobu is my friend. Do you mind if I sit with him here a bit?"

Dean Takatsuki looked at the sad kitten sitting beside him. Shinobu had not even acknowledged Misaki's presence. He was too distraught, trying to imagine how he would live if he was never able to see Miyagi again.

"I don't suppose that it could hurt anything." The Dean indicated the vacated spot next to Shinobu where Risako had been sitting.

Misaki sat down, and though he didn't say a word, Shinobu immediately leaned over and laid his caramel head atop one of the chocolate neko's lean thighs. Misaki stroked the caramel kitten's dirty amber ears while everyone anxiously waited for the Judge's decision.

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**So long since I've updated and I am missing you all so much (insert sad neko face here). My schedule has gotten increasingly hectic. I have a health condition I have been dealing with for about 18 months now and it has chosen to act up again, which makes it really hard to think and aggravates me to no end… so the writing goes considerably slower. Usually I can write with almost the same fluidity that I speak… though not nearly as fast.**

**So here we go… Hope that you enjoyed (maybe the wrong word given the situation, perhaps found interesting would better suit) this chapter. Things may be slower for a bit, but I am determined to finish this story.**

**Love to all and don't forget to go to the AlterEgoist's forum and tell me your yaoi story. Also, my next topic why are you an egoist? Tell me why you love this couple (or not). Avery : ) so good to see your post there today! Did you get my PM?**

**Midnight Reader- **so happy you are back among us and that was an outstanding come back review.

**TuffCookie1877**- if you ever see this… I know (right?)

**Demoncookie8D** -and **everyone else** that wants to see the professor nipped out with a laser pointer. I promise to do a one shot of this after this series is done.

**xMoymoy**- delighted to hear from you regardless of the length. Where's your yaoi story, dog? Cause I know you've been on the forum.

**Ichigo Kousei**- I got your message. Glad to know all is well with you. Hope to hear from you when things get better and **Ichigo Kousei** sent me…thank you for passing the word on.

**Yaoilover796**- thank you for the note. I'll see if I can locate the typos and correct them. Also, a bit forgetful these days, so forgive me, but if I haven't told you already, thank you for posting your yaoi story.

**Nadiwa Yagari**- thank you for hanging in!

**MoonlightatDusk**- Shinobu and Misaki are kind of hot together, right? Maybe there is a future fic in there. Glad to know there may be a new chapter from you soon.

**Kirakrz-** loved your review as always. Yeah, I think a Hiroki-Misaki paring would be kind of hot. I wonder how I could write that without freaking everyone out. Maybe a Misaki dream sequence. I bet I could pull Akihiko in then too… Man, I am such a pervert.

**Madame Masquerade 64**- I've missed you. Your reviews always brighten my day. Will you go to the forum and add your yaoi story? I am curious, my lovely fangirl.

**X ( )-** I have been missing you terribly. It does not seem like a complete day any more without a note or review from you in my inbox. Thank you so much for the lovely long PM. I am composing a response in between my chapters and hope to send it off to you soon.

**Egoistfangirl**- same to you as to** X**, my lovely twins. And you will be happy to know I have started on Bedside Manners chapter 4 and Teen Hiroki Chapter 17, and though it may take a few days in my currently addled state, they should be up soon.

**Maggie Mae**- glad you liked the Misaki moment. Thank you for participating on the forum and I am curious for your feedback on the newest chapter of "On Another Path." You always have such good thoughts.

**Avery**- I have been loving all your reviews and as I said, thank you for posting on the forum. Misaki and Shinobu are kind of hot togetherm right? Watching those two ukes together I think is about the same for a seme as watching lesbian sex is for a straight guy. And are you sure that Akihiko is writing about Misaki? I'm not.

**MidoriTenchi90**- my pet, I am so glad you liked your "nipped" parts. : ) Thank you for the impetus to write such fun chapters.

**Lillemmi, Puppyfacetwo and IAMLEGEND-** always tickled to see you names. Now come on, crew. I have told you this story, so get your neko loving tails over to my forum and share your tale with me.


	77. Justice: Terrorist Epilogue Part II

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Seventy-Seven: Justice**

**Terrorist Epilogue: Part II**

* * *

><p>Miyagi was in his apartment, lying in the comfort of his own bed, wrapped in his large black robe. The neko professor was relishing the peace of being at home and not in a jail cell.<p>

Miyagi settled himself in a bit more, wincing as this jostled his bad shoulder, though the pain there was nothing compared to what his heart had been through recently. The noir neko drew a cigarette from the pack on his nightstand and lit it. He took a deep drag and reflected on how crazy the world was in the way that situations sometimes played out.

He recalled those terrible moments at the courthouse. How heavy his heart felt when the Judge had called them back so quickly after recessing to make his decision. He hadn't held any illusions; Miyagi had known that in any legal proceedings the cards were automatically stacked against him since he was a hybrid, even if he was emancipated.

As if he hadn't already known that, his experience in his divorce of Risako had taught him this lesson incredibly well.

Still…

* * *

><p>As they took their places around the table, Judge Yamada re-entered the chamber looking grave.<p>

Once he was seated, Yamada said with a heavy tone, "what I see before me is a very unfortunate case, and one where I feel that some horrible injustices have been dealt to this young Takatsuki neko."The man's eye's swept over all the adults at the table but they stopped and lingered on Miyagi before his gaze finally shifted and came to rest on Shinobu.

"I think that it is only appropriate that the proper punishment be meted out."

Miyagi shifted uncomfortably in his seat. From across the table his gaze met his kitten's downcast gray gaze. Shinobu's eyes glistened with unshed tears and Miyagi knew the younger neko was doing all that he could not to openly cry.

The noir neko nodded at Shinobu, wanting to convey that he was ready to meet his punishment and that he in no way wanted the kit-teen to feel responsible.

Even without words, Shinobu understood what Miyagi was saying. He drew a deep and shuddering breath and dropped his gaze. He wanted to be brave in front of Miyagi, but he knew he would never be able to maintain if he continued to look at his mate. Shinobu's ears shivered and his thin shoulders trembled as he struggled to hold in his sobs.

Hearing the Judge's words, Risako sneered at her hybrid ex-husband triumphantly. Now that Shinobu was no longer looking at him, Miyagi bowed his head waiting to be condemned. Unable to hold back, despite his resolve, Shinobu started sobbing in earnest.

All of these emotions shifted in the various players quite rapidly, however, when Judge Yamada continued to speak.

What no one at the table knew was Akihiko had used his "Usami connections" to get Yamada to hear the case.

The Judge was in a mixed marriage and his lovely wife, it was rumored, happened to be a Takatsuki neko as well. As a kitten, it had been whispered in certain circles, she'd had her ears and tail cruelly clipped by a terrible breeder and so had been passing as a human for years. While no one dared to make such a public accusation, it was true.

Yamada and his Takatsuki had been together since her first heat, twenty years prior.

"Takatsuki Risako," he intoned, "I am charging and convicting you of first degree hybrid neglect."

"What?" Risako gasped.

An equally shocked Miyagi looked up suddenly to see a dumbfounded expression on his ex-wife's face.

"When you take on a foster kitten, you should read the fine print, Takatsuki-san." Judge Yamada's voice was sharp. "Standard foster guidelines require that you never leave a fostered hybrid in the care of another party for longer than a period of one week, without special dispensation from said foster's case worker. You have most recently left Shinobu-kun for almost eight times longer than that."

The Judge stared at Dean Takatsuki and his eyes narrowed. "And not, I will add, in the wisest or most responsible hands."

"Additionally, Takatsuki-san." Yamada looked coldly at Risako. "I am also charging you with abuse of a neko minor. According to the Hybrid Humane Society, it is deemed inhumane to leave any hybrid in a muzzle for a period of time exceeding two hours.

"It is unlawful to keep a hybrid muzzled, even with breaks every two hours, for a period extending longer than seventy two consecutive hours, unless said neko has been officially certified as dangerous."

"But I didn't know that, your honor!" Risako cried suddenly growing tearful.

"No, but you did know that the kitten was a Takatsuki and you were informed of the breed's special traits. You did not pass this information on in its fullness to your designated caretaker. I will attribute this to lack of good sense as opposed to willfulness. Willfully withholding such information and knowing the possible consequences, strikes me as a particularly heinous kind of cruelty.

"Speaking of which, given the charges you made against Miyagi-san, Takatsuki-san, you were obviously aware that your Takatsuki neko had mated.

"I can think of few things crueler than separating a newly imprinted Takatsuki from his mate, even if the kitten was underage. It is obvious, looking at the condition of Shinobu-kun, that because of your actions he has most terribly suffered.

"It's no wonder he bit you!" Yamada declared angrily.

The Judge drew a deep breath. Once he had regained his composure he looked levelly at Risako.

"I am going to order you serve the maximum sentence for your offenses, Takatsuki-san. Unfortunately, hybrid cruelty laws are not what they should be, so all I can give you is three months in jail and five hundred hours of community service. But understand if it were up to me, the punishment would be much more severe."

"Daddy, do something!" Risako shouted at her father.

The Dean looked at her helplessly.

Judge Yamada spoke again. "Your father cannot help you, Takatsuki-san, as I am also finding him guilty of endangerment of a hybrid minor." The magistrate fixed his steely gaze on the Dean.

"Honestly, man, where was your head?" the irate Judge asked the elder Takatsuki. "Not giving the kitten his pills, knowing full well what they were for, and then sending him off with an old seme tom… You might have just as well have served Shinobu-kun's ass to the Miyagi on a platter."

The Dean was rendered speechless with shame over his neglectful behavior.

"You should be grateful that Miyagi-san has confessed his love for Shinobu-kun, not to mention taken a bullet for him.

"There were any other number of scenarios that could have happened to poor Shinobu-kun as the result of an unsupervised first heat and none of them are pleasant to consider**."**

"I am sentencing you also to five-hundred hours of community service Takatsuki-san.

"And as Miyagi-san is an emancipated neko under your employ, I will be keeping tabs on you to make sure that his job is not threatened or that he doesn't face any retaliation or discrimination for my decision. Got that?"

The Dean bowed his head and nodded.

"Also, Takatsuki-san…" The Magistrate looked at Risako with distaste. "You are ordered to give Shinobu-kun back Miyagi-san's collar."

Before Risako could issue her protest, Yamada held his hand up, cutting her off. He turned his solemn gaze on Miyagi.

"Now as for you, Miyagi-san." The Judge looked sternly at the neko professor. "While I understand the circumstances got the better of you in this case and I am heartened to see you taking responsibility for your actions…

"If you are to continue in this relationship with the Takatsuki, Shinobu, as your mate, I want you to understand that physical violence, even in the form of a spanking, is not an acceptable way to deal with your partner's behavioral problems.

"So, I am going to assign both you and Shinobu-kun to attend cat couple's counseling so that two of you can learn how to communicate better. Then perhaps also Shinobu-kun won't feel as compelled to nip."

"But, your honor…" Miyagi was hesitant; he could still not believe the way things were unfolding. "What about Shinobu's age?"

Yamada waved his hand. "He's a Takatsuki; it's a special case. I will write a rare owner's dispensation for you. So, until he comes of age Shinobu-kun will legally belong to you now, Miyagi-san."

"And when Shinobu comes of age?" Miyagi asked.

"Well, as he's a Takatsuki, you're pretty much stuck with him for the rest of your three and a half lives, Miyagi-san.

"What you decide to do, however, is up to you." The judge studied Miyagi. "I hope that you will not take this lightly or abuse the power I am conveying upon you in this situation.

"Personally I would recommend emancipation when Shinobu-kun comes of age and if, you as his new owner and mate decide to do that, I would be happy to do what I can to help expedite your process."

Yamada said this thinking of his own beloved Takatsuki and a light blush colored his judicial cheeks.

Shinobu looked up at Judge Yamada.

"Does this mean I get to stay with Miyagi?" the wee caramel kitten's gray eyes filled with hope.

"Indeed," Yamada said benevolently, smiling at the catboy.

With that, Shinobu jumped up and rather than even bother traversing around the table, popped on to it and slid across its glossy surface into Miyagi's good arm. He wrapped his arms around the huge hybrid's neck and buried his face in Miyagi's shoulder. The poor kitten's slender frame shook with silent sobs.

"I swear, Shinobu-chin," Miyagi grumbled, his voice incredibly husky, "you are the cryingest kitten I have ever known."

Shinobu pulled his head back and regarded the noir neko with a scowl. "Shut up and kiss me, Old Tom!" he demanded through his tears.

Miyagi shrugged with his undamaged shoulder and complied. What could he do after all?

It was his Fate.

"That's disgusting!" Risako shouted from across the table. She took Miyagi's Sensei's collar from her purse. She'd been carrying it with her ever since she stripped it off of Shinobu. She threw it across the table at the two necking nekos, hitting Miyagi in his bad shoulder.

Though it hurt like hell, Miyagi ignored his incensed ex and wasted no time in taking the gaudy collar off his teen Takatsuki and putting his Sensei's back on.

"Thank you, Judge Yamada," Miyagi said sincerely.

Yamada cleared his throat and looked down. The scene had rather moved him. "Just take good care of that Takatsuki," he gruffed at Miyagi. Then he pointed a warning finger at the kitten, "And, Shinobu-kun, no more biting."

As Shinobu nodded in agreement, Yamada called out to the bailiffs to come take Risako and the Dean away for criminal processing.

Exiting the courtroom with Shinobu on his arm had been one of the happiest moments of Miyagi's life.

It had also been nice to have such a warm reception from the two couples waiting in the hall. The noir neko had spent so much time on his teaching and research he really didn't have too many close friends. So this new support felt strange, but also pleasant.

Hiroki and Nowaki both had to leave soon after offering their heartfelt congratulations. Hiroki was due back to the University for his classes and Nowaki needed to report at the flower shop soon as well.

Miyagi and Shinobu were driven home by Akihiko. The silver seme dropped them off before taking Misaki to his class at the University and then the author had to go meet with his publisher about his recently released new NL novel.

Once home, Miyagi had escorted Shinobu into their apartment then he'd taken them both straight to the bath (no cold water today!) to fix Shinobu's shabby ears and scrub away the last residue of their terrible ordeals.

Despite the fact that both nekos were exhausted from their turbulent and emotional trial, they still managed to have sex once in the bath and then once in the bed, before settling in for a long nap together.

_What a day,_ Miyagi reflected as he exhaled a puff of smoke. _Who could have imagined things would work as they had_?

* * *

><p>Miyagi stubbed out the last of his cigarette. He was still in awe that after all the shit they had been through that the gods had decided to offer he and his Takatsuki kitten a chance at a happy ending.<p>

The old tom watched in silent amusement as his large black robe began to move on the side of his good arm and after a moment a lovely, clean, soft-eared, caramel head appeared from beneath the thick fabric.

He had wrapped both he and his wee mate up in the robe together after their last romp. Shinobu had been resting, nesting under his raven seme's undamaged wing.

Huge gray eyes regarded Miyagi seriously.

Miyagi watched, entranced as his kitten's delicious pink tongue wicked out to taste one of his nipples.

"What are you thinking about, Miyagi?" Shinobu asked as he licked up the neko professor's neck and nuzzled his nose under his life-mate's strong jaw.

Miyagi took the Takatsuki's fine chin gently in his good hand and looked Shinobu's storm cloud gray eyes. "Fate… Shinobu-chin… fate," he whispered before he leaned down to kiss his kitten deeply.

* * *

><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

**Dear all, sorry it has taken me so long to update. Things have been a little crazy for me lately but hopefully I will be back on track with an every other day update till the end of the fic.**

**I've missed you all in the interim… Well, other than those of you I've been hearing from on my other stories. Which is equally splendid, but just not the same… also… don't forget to go to my forum and post your yaoi stories readers…and writers… okay? We're just all one big happy dysfunctional family here anyway!**

**XxXJezebelXxX, Luna Lilly19, Anyu Matsuri, TheSuperBanana, Blue Blood Beauty- Thank you for the favorites/alerts you still have time to review before the story is over (hint).**

**Nadiwa Yagari- see, now you don't have to hurt me.**

**X- do you see how familiar I have become? I have dropped the formal ( ) after your mark. John Grisham eat your heart out… So I told you about Risako. I agree that all the JR characters are lonely in their own way, but I think that is just the human condition. I agree it would be hard for Shinobu to be Misaki's friend, but it might be good for both of them. I promise the Egoists will have the last word. Hope I didn't sound as though I were bragging about the writing thing, that wasn't my intention. **

**YaoiLover796- Sorry I haven't gotten to your story yet, but I will… glad you liked the chapter.**

**xMoymoy- thanks for the review, dawg. Yeah, this is the end of the terrorists for this fic but now you have me writing them so there will definitely be others. Thanks for posting your Yaoi story, btw. I like your moxy Moymoy.**

**Teabags- happy as always to see you here. I got scared when you posted the gravitation fic today, though it was very sweet. Please don't abandon JRNG. Also… how do I do it? I am an obsessive insomniac with no social life and a brain that never shuts off. : )**

**Demoncookie8D- glad you're back and good to hear from you. I am so happy you've enjoyed this story.**

**Chiharu Moka- Romantica is next… Also, check out Chapter 35 of The Uke Flu for romantica perversion.**

**Midoritenchi90- love your ideas!**

**Yaoifangirl4ever, Madame Masquerade 64, Moonlight atDusk, Puppyfacetwo, 000LuvYaoi000, IAMLEGEND, BlackFlamingo101 – Thank you all for reviewing! Smooches!**

**EFG- that was an amazing review. Hope you got your three projects completed and can enjoy some time to read (my stuff, of course). Also I think your comment on the terrorist couple was very astute.**

**Lillemmi- I knew there was a reason you like the Tsumori part of the story…Kinky fox. Thank you for sharing!**

**AveryEgoist-see I am using your new tag. You read my mind about Risako. Shinobu /Misaki is fun, right? Thank you for all the reviews and again I am so glad you got an account. P.S. Thank you for being by fanboy guard dog!**


	78. Tail: Romantica Epilogue Part I

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Seventy-Eight: Tail**

**Romantica Epilogue: Part I**

* * *

><p>Misaki opened the door and peered into Usagi-san's apartment. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the man wasn't in the main room.<p>

Usagi-san was home a lot more these days as his case had gone to court and he had been found guilty of killing the neko trafficker, Toranaga Shinji. The judge had gone very easily on the man, however, due to the circumstances, the trafficker's extensive and violent criminal history; and the fact the judge belonged to the same country club as the Usami family. He had sentenced the author to a year under house arrest.

Actually, Misaki thought, his owner seemed quite pleased overall, as the story of the rescue and Usagi-san's part in the neko trafficking bust had boosted the sale of all of his books and the house arrest meant he had an excuse not to have to attend any literary talks or book signings for a year

And, despite being more or less confined to his palatial abode, Usagi-san still had managed to work it out somehow so that his ankle monitor was set in such a way that he could leave the apartment and travel to the University to pick up and drop off his pet without setting it off. He had also gotten a dispensation to go the courthouse that day to show his support of Miyagi-san.

Moving into the entry, Misaki figured his silver seme was probably (hopefully) upstairs writing like he should be. Though, if the workmen were still here, perhaps Usagi-san was "supervising."

He was having new carpet put in Hiroki's old room, saying the tea stain bothered him. This was why he hadn't picked Misaki up from the University today and the kitten had been allowed to make his way home on his own. Misaki had even been able to have tea with Sumi after classes at a neko-friendly coffee shop.

"A reminder of a most unfortunate lapse of judgment on my part," was how Usagi-san put it, when he informed Misaki about his decision to get the new flooring.

Misaki supposed that this was probably the closest his owner would get to acknowledging he'd royally fucked up that day. Personally, though the chocolate kitten felt bad for the cost and inconvenience that his dropping the tea caused, he wished Usagi-san would have let the reminder stay, since things had certainly gotten much better for him since then.

Misaki hung up his things and took off his shoes. He removed a small bag from his backpack and put it in his pocket. It was a present for Usagi-san. Kamijou-san had offered Misaki some advice on the gift and Shinobu-san had helped him pick it out. Misaki was so glad for these new neko connections.

He was still a bit terrified of the professor and Shinobu-san was so smart and grown up it was sometimes intimidating, still Misaki now felt less lonely than he had for a long time.

As Misaki entered the main room he saw an open parcel on the table.

Curious, as he was a kitten, the little male stepped over to see what it might be. Judging by the pink cover Misaki figured it was most likely Usagi-san's newest NL novel: the man had been so inspired; he'd written the entire thing in three days.

Misaki recalled how thrilled Aikawa had been with it. She had rushed it to production in record time, saying it was the best NL novel she'd ever read. They were already, within just weeks after it was written, doing an early release for it in a number of Tokyo bookstores.

Usagi-san hadn't let Misaki read the novel yet, not that he was interested in such pervy things anyway.

The teen neko stepped closer and his eyes got huge when he saw the title. His ears flattened out and his usually timid tail fluffed and began to rattle.

_"That big rabbit bastard!"_ Misaki thought furiously. His anger only increased as he flipped through the pages.

The small chocolate catboy bounded up the stairs and burst into Usagi-san's study. He would have begun ranting immediately, but Akihiko was on the phone, so instead Misaki just stood there the new novel clenched in one paw, his other paw balled into a tight fist.

"Yes, that's right. I want all those funds to go into supporting agricultural research and I want the first recipient of this new university neko research grant to be Tatsumi Souichi," Akihiko was saying into his phone.

"Fine. Just send the papers to my accountant once things are finalized." After a few moments of formal goodbyes, Akihiko snapped his cell shut and turned languidly to face his rabid kitten in his doorway.

"What is the meaning of this, you big deviant, Usagi-san?" Misaki yelled. "Where do you get off writing these perverted things! How can you take advantage of nekos like this?

"Find some other hybrid to write about like inu or something…any other species of hybrid will do for a pet-o-phile like you…"

Misaki stopped suddenly when Akihiko stood up and was directly before him in a flash.

The neko had almost forgotten how fast his big bunny could be. Misaki's ears drooped submissively and his tail smoothed out and took on a nervous tap. "I mean, uh…."

"Who said I was taking advantage of nekos, Misaki?"

Akihiko braced one hand against the wall over his kitten's head and leaned in, there was a peculiar light in his lavender eyes. The author took his pet's sharp chin in his hand and moved in closer.

"I'll have you know that eighty percent of the proceeds from that novel are going to neko rescue organizations and today I committed a share of my trust to start a foundation for orphaned nekos in the Takahashi name."

"You did?" Misaki's green eyes were huge. He gulped hard and blinked back tears at what his owner had just told him.

"Ummmmhmmmm." Akihiko brought his lips to just a breath apart from Misaki's. "Any other species of hybrid will do, eh?"

Misaki's tail began to spasm as Akihiko dropped his hand from his chin and ran a long finger under the edge of the new collar he had bought for him after the neko-napping incident.

"No, Misaki, I don't think so. The only species that interests me at the moment are nekos and the only neko I desire to take advantage of is you, Misa-kitty." With that said, the silver-seme moved in and his lips claimed his kitten's lips.

The emotion conveyed in that kiss was enough to make Misaki's tail stick straight out and that was not the only part of the kitten instantly made rigid.

The man pulled back after a few moments to observe with amusement his sputtering kitten.

"Well?" Akihiko queried his chocolate cat, one eyebrow raised to underscore his interest in Misaki's response.

Misaki blushed beautifully and looked away from Akihiko's intense lavender gaze. "Um, Usagi-san… Isn't it time for your afternoon snack?" he mumbled, his blush increasing even more.

"And what would you suggest I have?" Akihiko purred.

Misaki was fidgeting terribly now. His poor ears couldn't decide which direction they wanted to take. "C-cookies and M-Misaki milk?" He offered in a squeaky stammer.

"Purrfect," Akihiko smirked as he threw his lewd kitten over his shoulder and carried Misaki into his bedroom.

* * *

><p>Two hours later an exhausted Misaki was lying on his side curled into his owner, Akihiko was running a cool hand down his slender neko's sweat-sleek side. While he was tired and sore, Misaki was not nearly as tired or sore as he usually would be.<p>

Kamijou-sensei, in a conversation with him in the week, had given Misaki some advice on how to use his tail to save his ass.

Misaki looked up at Usagi-san and noticed that his owner's eyes were slightly dazed.

"Where in the hell did you learn how to do that, Misaki?"

Akihiko leaned over Misaki to grab a cigarette from the breast pocket of his shirt that was currently draped over the lamp on his nightstand. The man lit up and then rolled over onto his back. He took a deep drag all the while still slightly shaking his head in disbelief.

Misaki rolled over as well so he was now facing his owner. Akihiko reached out a long arm and drew his pet into his side. The chocolate neko was too tired to protest, so instead he opted for snuggling in. He draped his sticky tail over Usagi-san's belly.

"Kamijou-sensei told me how to do it, but I never tried it until today," he confessed.

"That sly bastard," Akihiko breathed. "All those years together and I never knew. I wonder what other NL secrets he kept from me?" The author looked down at his kitten's sweet face and kissed Misaki's forehead.

Misaki shyly offered Akihiko his seed soaked tail.

"Usagi-san… do you know about pair-bathing?"

* * *

><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**To Be Continued:**

**Author's notes to be added. **

**Until then….**

**P.S. AveryEgoist- Happy Birthday, my darling Seme Fanboy! Hope your Hiro-san makes all your birthday wishes come true.**

**Kristin From Italy- so lovely to see you here, my dear and hope you feel better soon! Nuzzles and Nudges!**


	79. Spotted: Romantica Epilogue Part II

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Seventy-Nine: Spotted**

**Romantica Epilogue II**

* * *

><p>Later Misaki and Akihiko were each suitably groomed and resting comfortably in each other arms. This took a while as the author's tongue was so skilled, every time he would start cleaning his kitten, he would end up almost invariably making a mess of him again as well.<p>

Akihiko cleared his throat. "Ah, Misaki, I want to talk with you about something,"

The sex-sleepy kitten looked up at his owner. The serious look on Usagi-san's face as well as the tone of the man's voice roused the chocolate neko.

"Okay," Misaki said but his tone relayed his sudden trepidation.

"Look, Misa-kitty, I know that Kusama-san emancipated Hiroki and Miyagi-san said he plans to emancipate Shinobu-kun when the Takatsuki comes of age… but I don't know that a rabbit can ever really change his spots.*****"

Misaki raised himself up a bit and looked at his owner curiously.

"What I want you to know is... that I am trying to change… to be better."

The silver seme continued in his silky voice though his tone sounded slightly remorseful. "But I can't see myself ever setting you free, Misaki. I am just too selfish for that. I can't bear the thought that if I did, that you would leave me some day."

Misaki blinked a bit in surprise. To be honest, freedom was never really something he'd considered. He found he was touched by Usagi-san's honesty and by the fact that this actually seemed to bother him now, whereas before Misaki didn't think the man had ever even considered it.

"That's okay, Usagi-san," Misaki said after a few moments of silence. "I am actually pretty happy that I have someone to belong to. And I rather uh… like belonging to you."

When Misaki saw his owner's eyes widen at this declaration he added, "in fact, I have something for you, Usagi-san."

The slender kitten slipped out of Akihiko's arms and went over to where his jeans had been tossed when the man had stripped him. Misaki pulled the bag he'd put in the pocket out and carried it with him over to the bed.

He crawled back up next to his owner and held his present out to the man with only a slight tremor in his hands. His ears were perked nervously forward and his lithe chocolate whip tail had taken on a slightly agitated twitch.

"Here, Usagi-san."

"What's this, Misa-kitty?" Akihiko's brow rose curiously as he took the bag from his kitten.

"Open it, please," Misaki whispered.

Akihiko opened the bag and took out a dark purple collar that sported a sleek silver tag. Engraved on the front were the words:

_Usami Akihiko_

_(Usagi-san)_

_If found wanting to buy bears, _

_Don't let him: he has enough already._

_If found hiding from his editor: call Aikawa Eri._

_If found asleep, leave him alone: _

_He's dangerous when he first rouses._

When Akihiko flipped pendant over the back the tag said:

_If found in any other instance, call his pet neko_

_Takahashi Misaki (only if it doesn't put you out)._

_Please: _

_Because his neko loves him._

_I think._

The "I think" at the bottom had a line through the text. Akihiko smiled when he saw this. He looked at Misaki.

Misaki blushed.

"I had them fix that last bit when I picked it up on my way home today," the neko confessed. Misaki bit his bottom lip nervously. "It should look good with your coloring."

"It's lovely, Misaki," Akihiko said offering a rare smile. "Will you put it on me?"

"Sure!"

Misaki was so glad that Usagi-san liked it, as he'd had to sell one of his favorite "The Kan" collectible action figures to buy it. Though his fingers trembled slightly, Misaki fastened the collar around Akihiko's strong neck. Seeing it on the man sent a little shiver of pleasure up the teen neko's spine.

Akihiko enjoyed the pleased look in his young neko's huge green eyes.

"I have a present for you too, Misaki."

"Really?" Misaki breathed. He added quickly, "you didn't have to get me anything, Usagi-san, but thank you. I hope whatever you got; it wasn't bothersome for you to do."

Akihiko got up and slipped into his trousers. He handed his shirt to the chocolate neko. "Here, Misaki, put this on."

Misaki looked confused, but did as his owner asked. Akihiko took his kitten's hand and led his pet down the hall to Hiroki's old room. Here he opened the door and ushered Misaki in ahead of him.

"UUUWAHHHHHH!" Misaki exclaimed when he stepped into the room.

It wasn't just the carpet that Usagi-san had replaced. Everything in the room was new and designed like a teen kitten's dream. There was a flat screen with a gaming area set up, with consoles and captain's chairs, a desk with a new laptop on it, and sitting next to that an MP3 and a cell phone.

Misaki looked at the shelves above the desk. There was a complete set of all "The Kan's" manga issues. The kitten pulled one down and opened it; it was even signed.

Looking back up Misaki saw that all of his action figures had been brought up from the laundry room and carefully arranged. He gasped when he realized even the one he'd sold was there.

"How?" Misaki looked at Akihiko helplessly.

"Come now, Misaki." Akihiko crossed his arms as he stared at his awestruck neko. "After what happened with the neko-napping you couldn't think that I wouldn't have made sure that your new collar had a GPS feature too?"

Misaki moved over to his new bed and sat down; tears were streaming down his face.

Seeing this, the silver seme became concerned. He went over and sat next to Misaki and put an arm around his pet's thin shoulders.

"Don't you like it, Misaki? We can change it if you want. I mean, I just thought if I intend to hold you captive, I should at least make it comfortable for you." Akihiko whispered this into his neko's tousled brown mop.

Misaki surprised Akihiko then. He climbed into the man's lap and wrapped his arms around his big bunny's neck. He sobbed into Akihiko's chest.

"Thank you, Usagi-san."

Akihiko wrapped his long arms around Misaki and moved the two of them so that in a moment they were curled up together in Misaki's new bed. He smoothed Misaki's hair and gave his neko's lips a tender kiss.

"Why don't we just rest here a bit?"

Akihiko held Misaki while his kitten cried out his loneliness and as MIsaki wept in his happiness at having a family again.

After a time Misaki looked up tentatively.

"Does this mean I can have friends over once in a while, Usagi-san?"

Akihiko thought for a moment and then ran a long finger tenderly down one Misaki's wet cheeks, "I suppose…As long as your door stays open…

"Especially if it's that Takatsuki neko," he added quickly.

"Does the door even lock?" Misaki asked, curious.

"Of course not! Don't be absurd." Akihiko snorted. "What did I say earlier about spots?" Then he looked down into the amazing green eyes of his kitten and his expression softened. "But I promise I will try and remember to knock if it's closed."

This seemed to be enough to satisfy Misaki. The neko gave Akihiko a beautiful smile before snuggling closer to him and laying his soft head against the man's chest. His tail flicked contentedly.

"I love you, Misaki," Akihiko sighed and closed his eyes, basking in this moment with his beloved Takahashi.

"I love you too, Usagi-san," Misaki whispered. He placed a tentative kiss between the man's firm pectorals. Then the Takahashi kitten snuggled in again.

Before he allowed himself to drift off in his owner's arms, Misaki glanced down at the new watch he sported on one of his thin wrists and blessed Kamijou-sensei for his advice.

It didn't matter really if his door locked or not, Misaki's collar was not the only one with a GPS tracking device in it. His bunny was going to have a lot harder time sneaking up on him in the days to come.

Misaki sighed as he closed his eyes. _So a rabbit couldn't change its spots. _

It didn't matter in the end so much, now that his rabbit could be so easily spotted.

* * *

><p><strong>Old AN:<strong>

_**A Leopard Can't Change His Spots**_**  
>When people state that they can't change who they are-their nature-they sometimes use the phrase "A leopard can't change his spots" (it's used in much the same way as "you can't teach an old dog new tricks"). The phrase about leopards is descended from the Bible, in the book of Jeremiah: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots?" (Jer 13:23)<strong>

**Feels weird to quote a Bible verse in a piece of fanfiction... Anyway:**

**X- Thank you as always. Glad romantica could make you laugh and I am really surprised that you read this.**

**Revolnievol- Thank you for chiming in. maybe there's another one shot there.**

**EFG- I feel bad that I am distracting you from your homework... not really...heh heh. I am so bad. Wow, your edge is sharp today. Math will definitely do that to a person.**

**Madame Masquerade 64- your reviews always crack me up! Milk does a body good as they say.**

**Yaoilover796- You are so cute with your ewww. I will check it out, promise.**

**BlackFlamingo101- as I said above...pair bathing one shot anyone? Thank you for the review. Can I add you to my marriage proposal list? Will you?**

**IAMLEGEND- It could be fun right? Inu-Hiro.**

**Puppyfacetwo- thank you for reviewing as always!**

**Sweet Sonia- hope you got my PM.**

**Midori Tenchi- Sweetie, thank you for all the reviews. Little neko nibbles from me to you.**

**Lillemmi- all will be revealed.**

**Tuffcookie1877- You're still not reading this, right?**

**AveryEgoist- Another Birthday wish on your actual birthday. Hope you have fun and I haven't forgotten your cameo. Sorry I didn't have it ready for your B-Day. Think of it a a belated gift.**

**Kristin from Italy- are you here, darling? I hope you are feeling better and thank you for all the lovely reviews and the new word "quotidianity". Your English is splendid.**

**Yaoifangirl4ever- did you have your phone taken away again?**


	80. Fangirls: Egoist Epilogue Part I

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Eighty: Fangirls**

**Egoist Epilogue: Part I**

* * *

><p>It was late afternoon and Hiroki was sitting at his desk. He looked at the clock and sighed. His office hours were almost over and Nowaki was coming by after work so that they could go out to dinner together.<p>

_Thank god, _the cinnamon neko thought.

It had been a hell of a day. First there was the emotional morning at the courthouse with Miyagi and then he'd had returned to the University only to find himself confronted with more distress during his class.

Hiroki rubbed his aching furrowed forehead.

As a young neko professor, Hiroki was aware that there were certain pitfalls; feline fangirls being one of these.

Professor Miyagi had a trio that was quite demanding. One was named "Moymoy," the others' names were "Keira Kinover-Mar," and "Inujuju." Hiroki had run into them while he was subbing for the big tom's class. They hadn't been at all pleased that their favorite professor was absent and had given their cinnamon substitute no small piece of their mind about it. In fact, if he was honest, the girls' dedication to Miyagi kind of scared him a bit.

Still that was just a few students.

He, on the other hand, seemed for some reason, to have more than his share of neko fangirls in his Intro to Japanese Literature class this semester.

There was "Kirakrz" who was always the first to class, shy "Midori" who sat at the back, that exchange student "Lillemmi" who for some reason reminded him of a fox, as well as "Kristin," the princess from Italy, and the young woman the other students had nicknamed "Madame" who was always laughing at seemingly random times. (Hiroki was sure she had figured out some way to be reading her phone without him seeing.)

There was also that girl who brought "Tea" to class every day, though he forbade it, and sat there doodling nekos braving his wrath. She sat next to another student who was also an offender of Hiroki's "no food or drink policy." This other young lady was always trying to sneak "Frosty Squid" snacks in class. This lawless pair usually sat next to that sweet girl, Maggie Mae.

There were a couple other interesting pairs. One was the "Will Smith Fan Club" as Hiroki called the duo: one was always wearing "Fresh Prince" tee-shirts, while the other seemed to favor the movie "I Am Legend." And there was the "Cookie" duo too: one was philosophical and seemed rather tough, the other simply seemed demonic.

And then there were the distinct individual neko fangirls, like the one with the "Black Flamingo" backpack that sighed and blushed every time he walked past her seat.

Designer backpacks seemed to be the rage this semester. The neko professor identified some of his other fangirls by these too. One's pack sported the neon initials "JMAG" while the others' were also cryptic messages of some sort: "FangXavier" and "Atalaya86." Hiroki had no idea what these things meant: he just couldn't keep up with all the students' language fads.

And then there was the newcomer to his class who looked so sweet, but who often wore a tee-shirt proclaiming "Tentai.t Hentai." It made Hiroki feel old that he found such a shirt shocking.

And along these lines, how could he overlook the trio, each one sporting a yaoi sticker on her notebook. One said "Yaoilover796," the other "000LuvYaoi000" and the third, who was always whispering in class about her boyfriend, "Yaoifangirl4ever."

Hiroki also suddenly remembered and added to his growing list the serious science major whose attendance of late had been rather spotty. He used to run into her occasionally in the library when he still lived with Akihiko, often finding her there, still "Reading at Midnight." The hybrid professor knew he had a very good retention rate generally, but occasionally a student would drop his class. Sometimes he didn't mind if the student wasn't really willing to work, but it pained him when such promising students stopped attending.

Hiroki's mind went to a wonderfully articulate young lady named "Ashley" who had shown tremendous talent. She stood out to him not only in her ability to express herself, but because she also wore a very pleasing light Tangerine scent that had tickled his sensitive nose. And of course there was "Vita Orlando" who he had no doubt would one day be a successful writer. And that "Gone with the Wind" girl "Scarlotte O'Hara." There was another young student too, who had only shown up to class for one day, but had expressed a keen interest in literature, "EmmyColl." She had impressed him with her fervor.

Most of his students', however, attended his course religiously. "Hutton" was one of the faithful, a little loopy, but enthusiastic nonetheless. There was also the dedicated "Barettachante," who had taken almost every course Hiroki offered it seemed.

There was also "Chiharu, Alexia, Jezebel, Sonia, Nadiwa, Ichigo, Liz, Kiyo, Dusk, Blue, Toby" and that crazy girl everyone called "Puppy" as well as those two new transfer students: the one who said, "Wunderbar," after everything and that other one named Nievol. He even had a lovely neko, neko fangirl who went, rather amusingly, by "Mew."

In fact, as Hiroki mentally went through his roster, considering his students, he began to wonder if he had any pupils that weren't neko fangirls.

Out of all of these, however, it was the "Twins" that had given him fits today.

* * *

><p>Now being a hybrid, Hiroki was used to unruly students. He supposed normally such antics wouldn't have bothered him as much, except the "Twins" were usually two of his favorites.<p>

They weren't really twins, but that was how he thought of them.

One kept her hair short and occasionally wore a frown (when deep in thought) that he was actually a bit envious of. The other had longer hair and wore glasses.

The girls didn't look anything alike actually, but they shared the same intense energy. That was really why he had nicknamed them the "Twins." The "Twins" always sat in the front row and were normally incredibly attentive (so much so, in fact, it was a bit disconcerting at times).

Hiroki was generally willing to overlook their moon-eyed expressions, however, as the two had such exemplary critical analytical skills when it came to the assigned readings. But today the two young ladies could not seem to keep their mind on his lecture at all. Instead, they kept giggling and whispering to each other.

When he'd finally had enough of their antics he walked over (unnoticed for once) to their seats and confronted them, clearing his throat and saying "Ladies" rather loudly.

This had startled the more timid of the two, the frowny one, who jumped and knocked her bag off of her desk. When it fell on the floor, a book with a familiar looking bright pink cover fell out.

Hiroki was about to berate the pair, but stopped short when he saw the book was by Akikawa Yayoi. The title of this particular novel was "NEKO-HIRO."

The cinnamon neko was horror-struck as he suddenly remembered Akihiko saying something that morning at the courthouse about the limited release of his new NL story.

Seeing the title and then looking at the girls, it was hard to tell between the three of them which one was the reddest.

Hiroki bent down and picked up the text.

"I'm confiscating this," was all he said before he turned and went back to lecturing.

Though his tone didn't change at all after that, anyone with eyes could see that their professor's tail had noticeably fluffed. The cinnamon catman had dismissed his class early and the "Twins" bolted immediately, practically climbing over each other to see who could get out of the lecture hall first.

* * *

><p>Hiroki rubbed his furrowed brow again, as though this would erase the memory of this event, but there was no way he could forget it now. Especially after he had spent his office hours reading Akihiko's NL novel.<p>

It was all there (well, minus the tail job) _and_ that clever rabbit bastard had made an announcement at the end of the book that eighty percent of the proceeds were going to neko rescue. So he would look like an insensitive ass now if he complained to Akihiko.

Hiroki sighed. He should have known that after what happened at Akihiko's apartment his former owner wasn't going to let him stay with Nowaki without some sort or backlash.

_But this?_

It was just so humiliating.

"Hiro-san, are you okay?"

Hiroki looked up to see Nowaki standing in the doorway and his ears immediately swiveled in the man's direction.

"I'm fine. Just a bit of a headache, Nowaki," Hiroki growled.

_And his name is Usami Akihiko._ Hiroki's lean tail switched peevishly as he stuck Akihiko's pink persecution under a pile of papers on his desk.

"Just give me a sec to get my things together." Hiroki added, "Besides I still have a few minutes until my office hours are over."

Nowaki ambled in, pulled out Professor Miyagi's desk chair and sat down. "If you don't feel well, Hiro-san, I could cook us something at home."

"I'm fine, I just need to get out of this place for a while," Hiroki grumbled and then he asked, "Speaking of 'feeling well,' did the doctor call you today?"

"Ummmhuummm," Nowaki said spinning around in Miyagi's chair.

He had been to the outpatient clinic at the hospital yesterday for some stomach pain he'd been having off and on over the last week or so. The physician on duty had done some tests.

Hiroki looked at the big man with a scowl that well-hid his amusement. Twirling like that, the young intern looked like a giant child. For all the goof's assertions of his Hiro-san's "adorableness," watching Nowaki right now, Hiroki had to admit that there were times when his partner looked pretty damn cute as well.

"Stop spinning, Dork, and tell me what the doctor said."

Nowaki halted in his rotation and looked at Hiroki a bit sheepishly. "He said I have hairballs and gave me some medicine."

"Well, I told you we needed to cut back on the pair-bathing," Hiroki muttered."As active as your tongue has been lately, it's a wonder I have any fur left at all."

Blushing at this admittance of their intimate activities, the neko professor picked up his book bag and started to move towards the door.

However, he had hardly made it out from behind his desk before Nowaki's long arms grabbed him around the middle. Hiroki dropped his bag in surprise and before he knew it, found himself pulled onto Nowaki's lap.

"But I love all your furry parts, Hiro-san, and there is not one bit of you I don't find tastes sweet."

Nowaki gave a gentle nip to the outside of one of his mate's cinnamon brown ears. One of Nowaki's hands simultaneously had found its way under Hiroki's shirt and was now tracing the hybrid's chest patch.

"Nowaki, what in the hell are you doing?" Hiroki gasped, trying to keep silent the purr that almost immediately started to brew in his chest at his lover's touch. "I still have office hours for five more minutes."

"Hiro-san, no one is going to come in, in the next five minutes." Nowaki nuzzled his partner's ear.

Hiroki looked over at his office door. It was open just slightly but where they were sitting, no one would see them unless they actually came into the room.

Maybe it was the trauma of reading Akihiko's uncomfortably accurate NL novel, but at that instant, Hiroki was not against being held. So, hesitantly he draped his arms around Nowaki's neck and nestled his head against his owner...er mate's.

Beneath his shirt, one of Nowaki's long fingers traced Hiroki's enduring heart.

"Did you call Dr. Ochi, Hiro-san?" the young intern asked.

For some reason Hiroki had missed neko heat season completely it seemed, but his PHS heart-shaped patches showed no signs of leaving. If anything the neko professor thought they had become even more defined of late.

"I go see him tomorrow after work," Hiroki said into Nowaki's neck. "I'm sure he'll just tell me it is stress though."

Hiroki sighed. He'd kind of been looking forward to sharing a heat with Nowaki.

Nowaki lifted Hiroki's chin with one of his large hands. "Tell me what I can do to help you relieve your stress then, Hiro-san." He pressed a tender kiss to Hiroki's lips.

Hiroki couldn't help himself; Nowaki's mouth was so magic. He opened himself up and his barely suppressed purr became audible.

But that was not the only notable noise because his office was suddenly pierced by a stereo "Squee!"

Hiroki jumped up from Nowaki's lap only to see two saucer-eyed students covering their mouths with their hands.

It was his "Twins."

The professor turned a furious shaded of red. His ears twitched madly as he tried to smooth out his shirt.

"I told you this was a terrible idea," the shorter-haired Twin mumbled to her cohort.

She pulled the black cap she was wearing with an embroidered "X" on it down over her eyes. She was twice as red as her professor almost and looked like she was about to flee from the room, but her more stalwart sister caught her arm preventing her flight.

Hiroki tried to scowl at the longer-haired twin, but it was hard to appear fierce after you'd just been caught, sitting in your mate's lap, kissing. Regardless, Hiroki pulled himself up with as much dignity as he could muster and said in what he hoped was a professorial tone:

"Is there something that you ladies needed?"

The spectacled Twin was blushing fiercely. "Kamijou-sensei, my friend and I wanted to apologize for being so disrespectful in class today."

Next to her "X" looked up shyly at Hiroki and nodded.

Normally he would have given the girls a lecture on how their attitude that day had not reflected a proper respect for literature, but after what the young ladies had seen, honestly he just wanted them out of his office.

"Fine," Hiroki said, this tail punctuating the word with a sharp swish. "Apology accepted. Now my office hours are over so go away!"

Nowaki shot Hiroki a disapproving look.

"Please," Hiroki added reluctantly.

"Ah… well there is… one other thing, Kamijou-sensei" the bolder twin stammered.

Hiroki cocked his head to the side. His ears were slightly flat and his tail tapped impatiently.

"Yes?"

"Ummm…Please, is there any way that you would give my friend back her book, Kamijou-sensei? It's just... it's a first edition," the longer-haired twin stated. Her voice showed just the slightest trace of a tremor.

"I had to wait in line twelve hours to get it," the "X"-hatted girl squeaked; a new blush rising to her cheeks.

Hiroki stared at the two students a moment; they fidgeted under the weight of his scowl.

"I'll make you a deal."

The girls looked at him with wide-eyed apprehension.

"I will give you your book back if you forget what you saw here and never say _anything_ about this or the book to _anyone_. Understood?"

Though both young ladies knew that they would never forget the tantalizing image of their handsome professor sitting on his equally handsome lover's lap in that hot lip lock (in fact it was a memory they would cherish and take with them to their fangirl graves), they nodded slowly.

"Good." Hiroki went over to his desk to find the pink pestilence nestled amidst his papers.

While he did this, Nowaki stood up. The girls were eying him so intently the man felt compelled to bow.

"I'm Kusama Nowaki," he said as way of introduction. "So you are both in one of Hiro-san... Kamijou-sensei's classes?"

As the girls were rendered speechless by the sight and sound of the glory that was Nowaki, they merely nodded. The "X"d twin felt her knees grow a bit weak and thought she might faint, but fortunately her soul sister steadied her.

"Is that the name of a new band of something?" Nowaki asked the bolder twin who was wearing a shirt that read Egoist Fangirl.

"Not hardly," Hiroki snorted before either girl could answer as he came back around his desk bearing their book.

"Is that really _the_ Nowaki?" The EFG shirted girl asked her professor as he handed her Akihiko salacious story.

Hiroki sighed and nodded.

"Is he _really_…?"

"All that and more… Now get out!" Hiroki snapped.

For some reason that gave the "X"d twin an invigorating burst of courage. "You know, Kamijou-sensei, if you and Kusama-san would autograph my book, I am sure it would really increase my friend's and my forgetful nature."

Hiroki stared at the girl. He looked between the "Twins," who were now both just giving him the sweetest smiles.

_Damn neko fangirls._

Hiroki grimaced at their egotistical extortion but pulled a red pen from his pocket and signed his name on the inside of the book. Then he handed it and the pen to Nowaki.

The tall man looked at him with a confused expression on his handsome face.

"Don't ask questions, Nowaki. Just sign it," Hiroki growled.

Nowaki shrugged and took the book, then he looked at the red pen. "Do you have another pen, Hiro-san?" he asked. "Red just seems so strident."

"Just sign it, Nowaki."

Seeing his partner's agitation Nowaki complied.

When he was done he handed it to the EFG twin who took it with only slightly shaking fingers.

"Now scat!" Hiroki growled as his "Twins" jumped and bolted from his office."And you better pay attention tomorrow in class!" he shouted after their fleeing forms.

_Well, at least I had the last word._

Hiroki tried to soothe himself with this thought as he went to retrieve his bag so he and Nowaki could go.

His satisfaction in this evaporated, however, when he heard an ear shattering "SQUEE!" echoing through the hallways.

The two girls had managed to contain themselves until they reached the end of the corridor where the pair had then collapsed in simultaneous fangasms.

Hiroki shook his head and tried to convince himself that a "squee" didn't count as a word.

"What was all that about, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked as the couple made their way out of the office. "I think I'm still a bit confused."

"Forget it, Nowaki. You don't want to know," Hiroki muttered, his tail slipped around the tall man's wrist, pulling the young intern after him and out of the office. "My headache just tripled though, I think, so why don't we just go home."

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><p><strong>NEW AN: So my dear new readers, in keeping with Neko-Hiro tradition, this is my thank you for following me through the return of this tale to FF. Hope you liked the chapter.<strong>

**OLD AN:**

**Okay, so my apologies to anyone who might have been left out… Avery… your chapter is coming up. Anyone else review or pm and I'll see if I can't find a way to add you in.**

**Honestly, I have to say I have never laughed so much writing a chapter as this one and I have managed to really entertain myself on a few of these eighty, let me tell you (simple minds, simple pleasures).**

**So…**

**Madame Masquerade 64- you know I love you.**

**Midnight Reader- what an amazing review! Thank you so much and it's so good to hear from you. I hope you will read and review On Another Path as the last chapter of it was kind of for you…**

**Kristin from Italy- two reviews, I love it! And quotidian is a word, so I knew what you were saying. After I looked it up of course, so thank you for teaching the professor. And so possessive, that must be your hot Italian blood. So exciting! Glad you're feeling a bit better.**

**Oh, and Misaki meant to use his tail to save his tail end from being ravished so much by the rabbit, that's what I meant and you weren't the only one who wondered. So I go back and try to make it clearer. Also a brilliant analysis of Akihiko. Smooches and licks today for you…**

**Moonlight at Dusk- so good to hear from you, love. Glad that you are happy with the story. Oh and BTW, when is your next chapter coming out?**

**MidoriTenchi90- Querida, I love it when you swear my flower. So spicy!**

**AwesomeWunderbar- You should check out my other stuff (and review) remember I also write under Cerberus Revised. Thank you for reviewing. All are important to me and will not be ignored. I really appreciate it! Glad you're enjoying the story even with my OOC Akihiko.**

**Puppyfacetwo, Yaoilover796, Lillemmi, IAM LEGEND, - Thank you for the reviews. I'm not quite done yet.**

**MsNewPussy- thanks for the PM. I will try to check out your stories!**

**AveryEgoist- glad you had an awesome birthday and so happy to see a new review from you. Yes, all the JR ukes are cute- the semes too. You really can't lose top or bottom…**

**FreshPrinceLover- I said that? Well… I think I inadvertently lied, as I am currently feeling like I am out of citrus juice. Can I promise to do some hot neko sex one shots later to make up for it?**

**Black Flamingo 101- I told you I loved you, didn't I? What a sweet review. Glad that you like the tags. I thought it was pretty funny myself.**

**Chiharu Moka- sorry you were a bit disappointed. Still, I was not unhappy with the chapter myself, considering where the romantic couple started from in this fic. Maybe I will have to do a romantica fic for you. Anything you'd like to read?**


	81. End?: Tsumori Epilogue

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Eighty One: End?**

**Tsumori: Epilogue**

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><p>Doctor Ochi entered his apartment and went into the kitchen. He pulled a cold beer out of the refrigerator.<p>

"Do you want one, Tsu-chan? I think you earned it today," the blond vet offered.

Tsumori took a seat at the bar at the kitchen counter and shook his head "no." The new-neko had realized in recent weeks that he'd had a bit of an alcohol problem in his previous life and was trying hard to overcome his past.

"A tea then?"

Tsumori's pale ears perked forward as he nodded and accepted the can of cold tea gratefully.

It had been three weeks since the great neko-napping and Tsumori had been staying with the vet ever since then.

Once his blood tests came back and were found to be indistinguishable from that of a regular neko, all the charges against Tsumori the human had been dropped and not long after, Ochi had formally adopted him as a pet.

"You did some good work today, Tsu-chan." Dr. Ochi leaned over and ruffled the blond neko's head. Then he went and pulled some other things out the refrigerator and set about making them a snack.

Tsumori bowed his head and offered a humble "Merrow." His tail twitched pleasurably at the praise. He had been assisting every day at the clinic, now that he had really healed enough to be active again.

Tsumori was glad for the work actually. He had always enjoyed medicine, even back when he was still an asshole, and keeping busy helped him a lot. Tsumori found he did much better these days when he didn't have too much time to think.

The new neko stiffened only slightly when he heard the front door open again a few minutes later.

"I'm home!" a warm friendly voice called.

"Welcome home, Sato-san," Ochi called back. He set down the snacks and prepared to go meet his lover in the entry.

Anticipating Ochi's movement's Sato said, "Don't drop what you're doing, I'll come to you."

A moment later Officer Sato slipped into the kitchen and walked up behind Dr. Ochi. He slid his arms around his new boyfriend's waist.

Ochi didn't stop what he was doing this time, but he turned his head and gave the police officer a very intense "welcome home" kiss.

Tsumori looked away blushing at his new owner's antics.

Sato released the vet and went over to the fridge to get himself a beer as well.

"And how was work today, Sato-san?" Ochi asked as he began slicing some vegetables.

"It was fucking crazy," Sato answered tiredly.

That caught the attention of both Ochi and Tsumori. They looked at Sato expectantly and waited for him to explain.

"Well, Ren came out of his coma today, though Jun is still out," Sato started hesitantly.

He looked at the blond new neko to see how Tsumori would react. He and Ochi tried not to talk about the knackers around the human hybrid too much as Tsumori had some PTSD issues of his own these days.

Sato looked at the disconcertion on Tsumori's face. "Well, even if he's regained consciousness, Tsu-chan," he offered as though it was a consolation for what Ren had done, "he's never going to get the fingers he lost back."

The nekos had bitten the man so badly when they attacked the knacker that the doctors had to amputate six of Ren's fingers.

"He's been able to talk though," Sato said, "and has been trying to cut a deal with lawyers. Anyway, he provided a bunch of information and we've been checking the leads out."

"And?" Ochi asked for Tsumori, as well as himself.

Tsumori hadn't regained his ability to talk and it looked, for all intents and purposes, as though this was going to be an enduring condition.

"Yeah, well, based on his information we found 'The Doc's' laboratory."

Sato shook his head at the horrors they had encountered there.

"It seems as though 'The Doc' was a Russian expatriate named Korovin.* He had a shitload of crazy experiments going on.

"Get this, one of them was a virus that would make male uke nekos pregnant. Not only that, but they'd be able to cross-breed with humans."

"What?" Doctor Ochi stared at his officer boyfriend with a look of incredulity.

"Yeah, unfortunately the guy got tipped-off somehow, so he was long gone by the time we got there." Sato's anger at this was evident. "We've got some guys working on it now, but it looks like this Korovin might have fled to South America."

"What about what he did to Tsumori? That human/neko technology?" Ochi asked cautiously.

Tsumori added his own curious "Yow?"

Sato took a swig of his beer and shook his head.

"It's going to take years to go through all that guy's records and it looks like he trashed the majority of his research on his computer.

"I'm sorry, Tsu-chan."

Then Sato added, his voice growing even more serious, "Ochi-san, you might get called in later to consult.

"The guy had like fifty nekos in his dungeon and the things that he did to them were beyond imagination. I can't tell you how much that man made them suffer."

Ochi's eyes widened at this news.

"Another fifty nekos? We barely finished getting the last of the ones from the warehouse placed." The vet looked at his new boyfriend. "And don't even think about bringing another one home."

"I have room for a few more," Sato countered defensively. Even though they had been going out seriously for three weeks now, the two human males were not living together. Sato had a huge old house that had been left to him by his grandmother (another neko lover) and the young officer had turned his home into kind of a hybrid haven.

"You already have _nine_ nekos." Ochi's tone was now slightly teasing. "And didn't you say it was already crazy?"

"Well, how was I supposed to know that the Takano I brought home from the warehouse knew my Onodera from when they were kittens?" Sato said helplessly.

"And what about the catman with the broken arm you brought home too? How is he doing now?"

"I still can't believe that Kisa isn't a kitten." Sato said.

"Well, their teeth never lie," Ochi replied.

"Yeah, I know. No, he's perfectly fine."

The young policeman smiled.

"My Yukina has fallen completely in love with him. Kou-chan drags him around all over the house like he's a rag doll. I've never known a neko to get so attached. He's almost as possessive as the Hatori, though not in anywhere near as violent about it."

"Is Yoshiyuki-chan still scrapping with the Yanase over your Yoshino hybrid then?" Ochi's voice was concerned.

"Yeah, that foolish little Yuu-chan thinks he's a seme for some reason." Sato laughed.

"Have you figured out what to do about it?" Ochi didn't like hearing that Sato's hybrids had been fighting, but being a policeman and encountering brutality daily in the ways that he did, unlike him, Sato considered these scraps relatively harmless.

"Well, you know the whole household has been thrown off by the stress of my bringing five new nekos home, so the ukes all missed out on the regular heat season.

"But I can tell that the Onodera is going to go into heat soon."

Sato looked at Ochi. "And you of all people should know that when ukes live together, they invariably end up on the same cycle, so when I have the whole house in heat I'm going to lock the Yokozawa and the Yanase up together and let them sort the seme/uke thing out between them. Because to be honest, I think that that big black Yokozawa tom might be a bit confused too."

Sato took another long swig of his beer then he grimaced. "Although this heat is going to be a bit of a bitch if it works out like it looks like it's going to. My uke nekos are all going to cycle at the end of the cycle for that publishing department I got most of them jobs in."

"And what about the Shinoda?"

"Yeah..." Sato rubbed the back of his neck. "He's kind of the odd seme out at the moment."

"You and your seme nekos," the vet snorted. "You're crazy to have so many under one roof."

Sato put his beer down and walked back over to Ochi and turned the blond vet around to face him. He wrapped his arms around the man's waist and pulled Ochi into him.

"Hey, semes need love too," the young officer said in a sexy tone before leaning in and capturing Ochi's lips with a dominating kiss.

When he released Ochi's mouth, Sato pulled back a bit and asked, "Speaking of the odd seme, where's that Usami neko of yours?"

"I think Haruhiko's under the bed again."

Ochi sighed and leaned his head against the young policeman's chest. "Ever since he got laid off from that architectural firm he was working at, he either seems to spend his time under the bed or down at the Aquarium watching the fish.

"Plus I still think he's mad I brought Tsu-chan home. You know I'd only had him a few months, so I suppose it was a bit unfair."

Ochi watched as Sato released him and walked around the bar towards their human hybrid.

Tsumori began to look a bit uneasy; the new neko's tail switched nervously.

Ochi added, "Since I haven't pressed him into anything, I'm beginning to think that Haruhiko might be an uke too. Maybe you should bring Shinoda over some time and we'll see if he clicks with Tsu-chan or Haru-chan."

Sato placed a hand on Tsumori's shoulder. "Okay, that sounds like a plan. But… in the meantime…"

Sato offered the young vet a sexy smile and then gazed at Tsumori who immediately dropped his eyes and began blushing fiercely again. His ears shivered at the heat of Sato's touch.

"You said on the phone that Tsumori was healed enough now…"

Sato grinned lustfully. "Are you up for a round of 'kitty in the middle,' Ochi-san?" The young officer looked intently at Tsumori as he rubbed one of the blond neko's flattened ears gently. "I brought my handcuffs."

"Sounds like fun," Ochi said, forgetting their snack and coming out from behind the counter to join his lover.

Then he saw Tsumori's worried face and moved over to his new pet.

Tsumori worked to still himself, but even so he couldn't help but wince when Ochi reached out to stroke his cheek.

"Ah, Tsu-chan, I'm so sorry," Ochi tutted sadly. "Did Sato-san and I scare you? You know he was only teasing about the handcuffs. Right?"

The vet shot his lover a reproving stare. "Sato-san, you know better, Tsu-chan's healed physically, but he's still fragile."

Ochi leaned in and gently kissed Tsumori's creased brow.

Tsumori ducked his head and blushed anew at this. He grew even redder when Sato leaned down and also placed a tender kiss on his forehead too.

"I apologize, Tsu-chan. Please forgive me," Sato said kindly. He gently stroked one of the traumatized blond new neko's ears. "Ochi's right, that was unfair of me. I promise we'll be gentle and you can tell us anytime if you want us to stop. Okay?"

The two men began moving towards the bedroom, leaving their pet to decide.

"Maybe once we get started, it will entice Haru-chan out from under the bed and we can have a foursome," Sato laughed.

Tsumori watched his two new masters leave the room.

"You coming, Tsumori?" Ochi called a moment later.

"He will be soon, if he decides to play with us." Sato chuckled at his own joke.

Tsumori reached over to Sato's abandoned half-full bottle of beer on the counter. He picked it up and took a long shaky sip and then sighed.

Then he pushed himself up from the bar and went to join his new masters.

Despite all the changes he'd undergone, it seemed that karma wasn't quite through with him yet and was determined to see that despite his reformation, this once bad guy was still going to get it in the end.

As he stepped hesitantly into the bedroom, looking at the two men anxiously waiting for him on the bed, tonight in fact, it looked like both ends.

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

*** Korovin is an Uke flu reference from the Cerberus Revised penname I have**.

**One more chapter and an Omake and we're done, can you believe it?**

**Maggie Mae, Madame Masquerade64, XxXJezebelXxX , Teabags, Midnight Reader, Black Flamingo 101, Liz, Lillemmi , 000Yaoilover000, Tuffcookie 1877- Thanks for all the reviews the other day all. I am so glad you were pleased with the chapter and your parts in it.**

**xMoymoy- I think to be honest that most people scare Hiroki. It was not you but your intensity and I think you should be proud of it.**

**X-that had to be the longest review in FF history. I loved it.**

**Egoistfangirl- so glad you were pleased.**

**MidoriTench90- what a splendid review. I have loved all your feedback, boy, was so delighted to read it. After eighty chapters… breakthrough!**

**Avery Egoist- birthday cheesecake? I am jealous.**

**Kristin from Italy- why the long face, princess? And so terse… are you upset with me, darling? I hope not… You know you are my sunshine. Saw your review for the 1st chapter of "On Another Path" and am curious to know what you thought of the others.**

**Moonlight at Dusk- loved the new chapter!**


	82. Neko-Hiro: Egoist Epilogue Part II

**Neko-Hiro**

**Chapter Eighty-Two: Neko-Hiro**

**Egoist Epilogue: Part II**

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><p>A few days after Hiroki's fangirl "headache" Nowaki came home from his late shift at the hospital and was surprised to find his lovely neko still up.<p>

The day Misaki got his new room, all of the cinnamon hybrid's boxes from Akihiko's apartment had shown up on their doorstep. Hiroki was in the midst of unpacking his books and putting them into the bookcases he and Nowaki had recently assembled to store his library in.

Nowaki watched his professorial neko work.

Hiroki was so intent on his task he hadn't even heard the young intern come in.

Nowaki thought his cinnamon catman looked so cute. Hiroki was wearing a pair of loose gray sweats and a tight white tee-shirt. The neko was also sporting a pale green bandana over his unruly hair. His cat ears were sticking out at the sides beneath it. His tail twitched contemplatively as Hiroki took each title from a box and lovingly transferred it to its new shelf.

Nowaki moved up behind his mate.

Hiroki only jumped a tiny bit when man wrapped his long arms around him and whispered into a fuzzy ear. "Hello, hybrid husband." Then his mouth moved down and began grazing on his Hiro-san's delectable neck.

"Get off of me, you big dork," Hiroki huffed.

Hiroki tried to shrug the intern off, but Nowaki wasn't about to let the neko out of his grasp so easily. Instead he pulled the resisting catman down with him and soon Hiroki was in his lap, both of them seated on the floor.

"I'll only let you go if you say it, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, pulling the other male's back against his chest and craning his chin over Hiroki's shoulder.

"No," Hiroki scowled. He would say it in his mind, but not out loud.

"Please, Hiro-san." Nowaki's voice held just the barest hint of a beg.

Hiroki wasn't going to do it, but when he felt Nowaki put his mouth over the most recent mate-mark on the back of his neck just under the band of his collar, he felt his resolve weaken. He sighed and relaxed back against his mate at last.

"Hello, human husband…" Hiroki could feel Nowaki's warmth suddenly increase as the man glowed at the title.

Nowaki, rather than release Hiroki now, pulled the catman tighter to him.

Hiroki wondered if he should pretend to struggle a bit more, and yell "Ribs Nowaki!," if for no other reason than the sake of his pride. But, truth be told, he was glad Nowaki was home. He didn't like being alone by himself in the apartment and though it had been weeks since he'd taken refuge in the closet, he still had trouble sleeping at night when the man wasn't next to him in their bed.

Not that he'd ever tell Nowaki that.

The neko professor finally decided he'd just be still for a moment, as the heat of Nowaki's body was making it hard for him to want to move away from it.

"How come you're not in bed, Hiro-san?" Nowaki murmured into the back of his mate's neck. He nuzzled one of Hiroki's human ears. He moved his head and his lips brushed its tender flesh.

"Is the apartment too bright?" Nowaki's mouth gently worried the hybrid's earlobe. "Or too loud?" The young intern queried in between petite nibbles and long licks.

The motions of Nowaki's mouth were sending waves of tiny electricity down Hiroki's spine.

"Too bookless," he muttered and then moaned as one of Nowaki's large warm hands slid between his skin and the thin fabric of the tee-shirt he was wearing. Heated fingers grazed his low belly and began to stroke up his chest.

"Nowaki, what are you doing?" Hiroki growled lightly.

"I would think that it's pretty obvious, Hiro-san, but if you need some further clarification…" Nowaki grabbed the bottom of Hiroki's tee-shirt and hiked it up over his neko's leanly muscled shoulders.

Hiroki allowed the man to pull his thin cotton tee over his head, appreciating how careful Nowaki was about not catching his ears.

The removal of the shirt also dislodged his bandana, freeing a cascade of wild cinnamon brown hair. Nowaki wove his fingers through it. He used this to gently pull Hiroki's head back and kissed him deeply. When Nowaki removed his lips from the hybrid's hungry mouth he brushed them across Hiroki's forehead.

"What I'm doing is I'm loving you," Nowaki murmured

Nowaki felt a shiver course through his uke's body. He wrapped his arms again around his lover's lithe muscular frame.

Russet eyes met blue, but only for a moment, before Hiroki turned his head away in a doomed attempt to hide his growing blush.

"Nowaki," Hiroki's low voice rumbled.

"Yes, Hiro-san?" Nowaki tensed a bit, waiting to see if his directness had pushed his lover too far.

Hiroki's blush deepened "Just don't stop. Okay?" he mumbled.

"Never, Hiro-san, I promised," Nowaki said softly.

One of his long fingers traced the edge of his mate's fine collar. Then he used the same finger to tip Hiroki's face back towards him. Nowaki's lips captured Hiroki's once more, then he drew back hovering just above their surface.

"I promise," Nowaki breathed his pledge out as Hiroki's breath drew the words in.

Nowaki released his hybrid then.

The cinnamon neko sat for a moment and then stood up. Nowaki looked up at Hiroki, standing there shirtless in front of him. The soft light from the lamp on the small end table behind him haloed the hybrid's hard torso.

Hiroki frowned down at the man.

Nowaki blinked as Hiroki held out his hand. "Come on," Hiroki growled.

Nowaki took his neko's hand and stood up. Hiroki led them both down the hall towards their bedroom.

* * *

><p>Hiroki and Nowaki were curled up in bed together enjoying the afterglow of yet another fantastic fuck.<p>

"Hiro-san," Nowaki ventured.

"Hmmmm?" The sated neko purred. His tail was wrapped around one of Nowaki's thighs.

"Would you read to me?" Nowaki asked almost shyly.

Hiroki released his tail and rolled over, looking into the hopeful blue pools of his partner's eyes.

Every night since his books had shown up, Nowaki had asked Hiroki to read him to sleep.

It turned out to be a nice arrangement: Hiroki loved to read out loud and Nowaki loved the sound of Hiroki's voice.

It was also a way the neko could communicate with his lover without having to talk: picking certain passages to read to his partner to tell Nowaki things he couldn't say otherwise.

"I didn't bring a book in," Hiroki mumbled. He could have offered to go out into the other room and get one, but after the session they'd just had, the catman wasn't sure he could walk.

"What about that one?" Nowaki nodded towards the nightstand.

Hiroki looked over reluctantly at the bright pink book that Nowaki had indicated. The intern had picked the novel up off the floor that morning and had set it on the low table on Hiroki's side of the futon.

When they had been unpacking the hybrid's boxes the day before, Nowaki had opened one of the boxes only to be confronted with three freshly printed copies of Akihiko's _Neko-Hiro_.

"Hiro-san, isn't this the same book you gave to those two girls yesterday?" Nowaki asked holding up the NL novels.

Hiroki had thrown a fit then, in addition to a number of books, and Nowaki had been forced eventually to take matters "into his own hands," so to speak, to calm his hybrid husband down.

That particular book had somehow landed in their bedroom after Hiroki had thrown it. How this was physically possible still puzzled Nowaki.

Hiroki sighed. Nowaki would need to be told about the novel and his part in it sooner or later.

He rolled again, reached over, and picked up the book hesitantly. He pulled his spare reading glasses out of the nightstand drawer and settled them on his nose. Then he settled back into Nowaki's warm arms.

Hiroki opened to the novel's first page.

"Wait a minute, Hiro-san," Nowaki entreated.

Hiroki paused and turned and gazed curiously at his mate.

"Do you know if this story has a happy ending? Because if it doesn't I don't want you to read it to me."

Hiroki looked at the younger male. "Yes, you big goof, it has a very happy ending!" He blushed and nestled his back against Nowaki's broad chest.

"Oh, good!" Nowaki said happily snuggling closer and settling his chin in between Hiroki's cinnamon ears.

Hiroki's tail draped over Nowaki's hip and curled against the small of his husband's back.

He cleared his throat and started reading.

"Neko-Hiro, Chapter One… Hiroki burst through the door, panting. He looked at his watch again for about the fiftieth time in the last ten minutes…"

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><p><strong>The End<strong>

**But stayed tuned for Avery's Egoist Omake….**


	83. Omake

**2/2/2013**

**So this is the end of Neko-Hiro, returned and finally re-uploaded here on FF. If you have just found this story or are re-reading it, please drop a review and tell me you were here.**

**Also, if you liked this, please check out my other Neko Fics, (soon to be uploaded here too: "Sekai ichi 'Cat'sukoi and "Neko Files." There is also my Inu Nowaki story coming back soon, "Full Moon Typhoon".**

**Until later, Happy Reading!**

**Don't Preach**

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><p><strong>Neko-Hiro<strong>

**Omake**

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><p>When he finally heard the knocking, Nowaki moved tiredly towards the door. He hoped fervently it was the take out he'd ordered and not another neighbor complaining about the noise.<p>

Nowaki opened the door.

The expression of trepidation he'd been wearing dissolved and a lovely smile quickly emerged on his handsome face. It was Avery, his favorite delivery person from Panda-san, standing there holding a big bag of delicious smelling food.

Nowaki had always admired that the youth could work so well amongst all those Panda-san fangirls, not realizing that Avery was actually a bit of fanboy himself.

"Avery-san, how nice to see you," Nowaki greeted the young deliveryman. It had been ages since he had ordered in. Not since he had first met Hiro-san in fact.

"Likewise, Kusama-san," Avery replied as he handed over the takeout. Nowaki went to get the money out of his wallet, which had been lying on the low table just inside the apartment's entry. As he was doing this the youth studied him.

Noticing the tall man's state, the fanboy's eyes took on an expression of concern: Nowaki was wearing a robe and his usually tidy appearance was disheveled. He looked slightly thinner and his kind face more than a little tired.

"I hope I am not being too forward, Kusama-san," Avery said as he counted back the other man's change. "But is everything okay? You look a bit…"

Just then Hiroki came into view from the direction of the kitchen carrying a recently filled gallon jug of water. The neko professor was wearing only a towel and his lean torso was covered with mate marks.

Hiroki normally would have been terribly embarrassed to be seen in his current condition but surprisingly, the neko didn't blush at all. Instead, he scowled at Avery a moment, then he turned his displeased expression towards his partner.

"I can't believe you need to eat again already, Nowaki… we ate like two days ago," he grumbled looking disdainfully at the bag the man held.

It had been about three weeks since the couple's memorable bedtime story and Hiroki's heat had finally come on. Needless to say, as a result the cinnamon catman had only had one thing on his mind since.

In fact, while Nowaki was sure that his neko professor had been ingesting more than enough _protein_ the last couple of days, the only way he could get enough calories into Hiroki recently to maintain the hybrid's already slender physique was to paint food on various parts of his body and then let the insatiable feline lick it off.

"Make sure you drink all that water, Hiro-san. I don't want you getting dehydrated." Nowaki called after his neko as Hiroki disappeared back down the hall towards their bedroom.

"How cool," Avery's gray eyes had widened when he saw the cinnamon neko's chest patch. "I didn't know you had a Kamijou, Kusama-san." The fanboy was a bit of an ailurophile as well. "I have a "Miukisocuti myself," Avery offered rather proudly.

Nowaki smiled at this and was about to say something when a growly voice rose from down the hall and suddenly filled the room. "Nowaki, hurry up and get in here! My ass isn't going to fuck itself! Or am I going to have to use my tail again?"

The tall seme turned a bit pink at this.

"I'll be right there, Hiro-san, " Nowaki called. He turned to Avery and offered apologetically, "Sorry about that, Avery-san, but my Hiro-san's in heat."

Avery was a bit shocked, knowing that neko heat season had passed, but he'd also read that Kamijous were sensitive cats and figured something had probably just thrown the cinnamon hybrid off schedule.

He smiled sympathetically and revealed his own collar, hidden just below the neck of his shirt. "Oh, you don't have to explain anything to me, Kusama-san, I know all about uke neko needs." The young deliveryman added, "It's such a coincidence, my uke neko is named Hiro-san too."

Seeing Nowaki's eyes widen at this information Avery amended, "Well, actually, it's more like a nickname…" The youth dropped his voice to almost a whisper, "To be honest he doesn't really like it that much."

Nowaki grinned at the young seme, he reached out a large hand and ruffled the deliveryman's reddish brown hair. "Don't worry too much, Avery-san, he'll get used to it after a time," he whispered back.

"Nowaki!" Hiroki's voice carried a heated edge to it.

"I'll be right there, Hiro-san," Nowaki called down the hall again. Then he turned back to Avery and shrugged.

"A seme's work is never done."

"God, I hope not," Avery laughed and Nowaki chuckled with him. "Don't worry, Kusama-san, go take care of your uke. I can show myself out."

Avery was waiting for the elevator a few moments later when he heard the heat howls drifting down the corridor from the direction of Nowaki's apartment.

As he stepped into the open elevator, Avery considered what Nowaki had said and smiled, "a seme's work is never done…" Since this was his last delivery for the day, the young seme suddenly thought he ought to go find his Hiro-san and see if he couldn't elicit a few howls of his own.

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><p><strong>So that's it for Neko-Hiro. <strong>

**Dear Readers, if you would please do this author a kind favor. If you've made it to the end of this story (regardless of how long it's been over), please just hit the "REVIEW" button. All you need to say is "I was here." Think of it as a guest book. I just like to know who my readers are. I promise I won't PM you unless you want me too.**

**Please? I mean, after all, I just gave you well over 100,000 words of neko goodness. **

**I'd like to thank everyone who traveled with me through this story and everyone who Reviewed or Alerted/Favorited. I wouldn't have made it to the end of this neko's long tale without all your conversation, interest, and encouragement. See you on another story hopefully!**

**THANK YOU FOR READING!**


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